TCTA Warns SA Water Losses Driving Tariff Hikes, Calls for Urgent Efficiency Fix

Municipal water losses—often due to ageing pipes, poor maintenance, leaks, illegal connections and insufficient monitoring—pose a significant threat to South Africa’s water security.

Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) Chief Executive Officer Percy Sechemane has raised serious concerns about South Africa’s high water losses—particularly at the municipal level—warning that inefficiencies in local water systems are driving unnecessary operational costs and contributing to escalating consumer tariffs.

Speaking to the media during the Department of Water and Sanitation’s oversight visit to Lesotho to monitor progress on Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), Sechemane stressed that while large-scale infrastructure projects are essential, South Africa cannot ignore chronic wastage and maintenance failures within existing systems.

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“We Are Losing Too Much Water”—Sechemane

Sechemane highlighted that municipal water losses significantly inflate water tariffs for ordinary citizens:

“We are losing too much water in South Africa at municipal level, and ordinary citizens end up paying higher tariffs because municipalities add on and then we just bail.”

He argued that if municipalities improved water-use efficiency and accounted for every drop, South Africa could reduce or even postpone the need for new bulk-water infrastructure phases. Existing infrastructure, he said, is already substantial; what is lacking is maintenance, optimisation and accountability.

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Costly Projects Unnecessary if Existing Infrastructure is Optimised

While acknowledging the importance of major projects like the LHWP, Sechemane noted that these should not overshadow the urgent need to fix inefficiencies within South Africa's water distribution network:

• South Africa already has much of the required infrastructure in place.

• Proper maintenance could drastically reduce losses.

• Stable and affordable water tariffs depend on reducing waste, not just building new dams or tunnels.

He emphasised:

“What is the use of building infrastructure when the water gets lost once it reaches South Africa and tariffs continue to increase?”

Sechemane reiterated that maintaining and optimising the infrastructure already available would help the country avoid unnecessary expenditure on new assets and keep water costs manageable.

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Water Losses Undermine National Water Security Strategy

Municipal water losses—often due to ageing pipes, poor maintenance, leaks, illegal connections and insufficient monitoring—pose a significant threat to South Africa’s water security. Experts estimate that South Africa loses over 40% of its treated water through leakage and inefficiencies, costing the economy billions of rand each year.

Sechemane’s comments underscore a growing concern within the water sector:No amount of large-scale investment will secure South Africa’s water future unless local-level inefficiencies are addressed.

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Role of TCTA in South Africa’s Water Security

The Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority is a state-owned entity mandated to finance and implement bulk raw-water infrastructure projects. As an agency of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), its responsibilities include:

• Supporting South Africa’s long-term water security

• Ensuring equitable water allocation

• Expanding access to safe water

• Implementing financially sustainable water infrastructure

TCTA plays a pivotal role in enabling the government to meet its constitutional obligation of ensuring universal access to water for all citizens.

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A Call for Urgent Action

Sechemane’s message was clear:South Africa must prioritise efficiency, maintenance and accountability at the municipal level to safeguard water security, slow rising tariffs, and ensure that investments in mega-projects achieve their intended impact.

Without addressing systemic water losses, Sechemane cautioned, the country risks continuing a cycle of high costs, infrastructure strain and unnecessary expansion, despite having adequate foundational infrastructure.