The national water crisis committee, established recently to coordinate government efforts in addressing water scarcity, is dealing with immediate challenges in the most affected municipalities while changing the way that water infrastructure was funded and managed, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In his keynote address to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) at Stilfontein in the North West on Friday as part of its “taking parliament to the people” programme, Ramaphosa said the government has prioritised measures to address the water crisis affecting many municipalities across the country.
Water challenges saw Johannesburg, the country’s largest metro and economic and financial hub, go without the precious resources for weeks on end earlier this year, prompting Ramaphosa to establish the crisis committee.
“Two weeks ago we held a historic meeting of all the mayors in South Africa to discuss the challenges facing municipalities. At that meeting, we outlined the National Water Action Plan, which outlines the focused actions we will take to address the crisis,” he said.
“We were encouraged by the enthusiastic and committed support of all mayors and all provinces to this critical work.”
In January the ANC declared 2026 a year of decisive action to fix local government and transform the economy, with the government of national unity (GNU) having set aside R54bn for service delivery, especially for fixing water and electricity infrastructure across the eight metros.
The beleaguered local government sector is dogged by malfeasance and fiscal challenges in which billions of rand have been wasted
This is as the country is set to hold much-anticipated municipal elections later this year, in which opposition parties expect the former liberation movement to perform poorly, as the electorate has grown disillusioned with poor service delivery.
The beleaguered local government sector is dogged by malfeasance and fiscal challenges in which billions of rand have been wasted on fruitless, wasteful and unauthorised expenditure annually, affecting the delivery of basic services such as potable water, electricity, clinics and refuse collection.
Local government’s worsening state has spurred the government to focus the second phase of Operation Vulindlela on fixing councils. Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Treasury and Presidency created in 2020.
In his state of the nation address in February, Ramaphosa outlined how the GNU was driving inclusive economic growth that “creates more jobs by expanding the productive capacity of our economy and attracting more investment”.
“We are working to tackle poverty and address the high cost of living that is putting strain on individuals and households, particularly the poor and vulnerable,” he said.
“We are building a capable, ethical and developmental state that is able to deliver the basic services that are our citizens’ right. We are building a state that treats every South African with courtesy and respect, and that is free from corruption and mismanagement.”
Local government is critical in ensuring that people have water and sanitation, electricity, roads, clinics and community services
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
The president said local government “is where our ability and capability to achieve all these national priorities will be put to the test. Local government is the engine room of development. It is where national policies and provincial programmes are translated into action.
“Local government is critical in ensuring that people have water and sanitation, electricity, roads, clinics and community services.”
He stressed local government had a vital role in determining where companies choose to establish their offices, factories, shops and outlets. “When companies choose to close down and move elsewhere because of poor services, jobs and livelihoods are lost and the local economy suffers,” he said.
In 2021 dairy company Clover said it was closing its cheese processing plant at Lichtenburg in the North West and moving it to Queensburgh in KwaZulu-Natal, due to a lack of service delivery by the Ditsobotla municipality.
“When local government works, when municipalities are well-managed and deliver on their mandates, cities, towns and villages thrive. That is why fixing local government is among the foremost priorities of this administration,” Ramaphosa said.
“Over the next three years we will be investing R1-trillion rand to build energy, water, transportation, logistics, IT and essential other infrastructure. This massive programme will create jobs, support local businesses and supplier development, and develop new value chains.”
Business Day
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