March marks Water Month and Human Rights Month in South Africa, placing access to water and decent sanitation at the core of fundamental human rights. However, South Africa faces a growing challenge in ensuring water security due to an intermittent power supply, which severely impacts water distribution. The water-energy nexus must guide all interventions aimed at securing reliable water services. South Africa’s water security is directly linked to its energy stability. Power failures at pumping stations disrupt water supply, affecting municipalities and industries.
The Association of Water and Sanitation Institutions of South Africa (AWSISA) advocates for the development and implementation of the Water-Energy Nexus Master Plan to guide future investments and interventions. Key priorities include strengthening power supply flexibility by securing alternative power sources for critical water infrastructure, upgrading and maintaining infrastructure to reduce the impact of power outages, and enhancing coordination between water and energy sectors to improve efficiency and resilience.
AWSISA is concerned about the state of municipal infrastructure, which continues to contribute to water insecurity due to Municipalities’ failure to upgrade and maintain water and energy infrastructure. This has resulted in high levels of non-revenue water – exacerbated by leaks, inefficiencies, and lack of maintenance. Non-payment of water services by municipalities, leading to financial instability for water boards. The water board is owed over R24 billion. Insufficient water storage facilities and pumping stations affect water access during high demand in high-lying areas.
AWSISA is a trade association that represents the interests of the water and sanitation industry in Africa. 2 of 2 HUMAN RIGHTS AND WATER MONTH Revenue collection remains a significant challenge at the municipal level, where collected funds are often diverted to other cost centers rather than reinvested into water infrastructure. To address this, AWSISA calls for strict financial ring-fencing of water and sanitation revenue, ensuring these funds are exclusively reinvested in water and sanitation infrastructure. AWSISA strongly advocates implementing Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to transform water utilities. This public-public partnership between water boards and municipalities would also create opportunities for private sector investment. The success of SPVs depends on financial ring-fencing of water and sanitation revenue, the appointment of qualified professionals to manage operations efficiently, and effective revenue collection and management.
AWSISA believes that the Department of Water and Sanitation, the National Treasury, Provincial Governments, and municipalities must create an enabling environment for water security and private sector investment. This requires reviewing and amending legislation and regulations hindering water security and dignified sanitation, removing barriers to the SPV model to fast-track the development of modern, efficient utilities of the future, establishing an Independent Water Regulator to oversee the sector as effectively as regulators in communications and energy. AWSISA is committed to driving change and will continue advocating for practical solutions. AWSISA will be hosting the AWSISA Africa & Global South Water Dialogue 2025 from 9 to 12 November 2025 at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, Gauteng, to discuss solutions
