Ramaphosa Launches National Plan to Tackle Water Crisis

WATERCOM was established after the 2026 State of the Nation Address as water supply problems became more severe in several parts of the country.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched a National Water Action Plan to address South Africa's growing water supply crisis, improve failing municipal systems and secure reliable access to quality water for communities and businesses.

The plan was released after a meeting of the National Water Crisis Committee, known as WATERCOM, at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. It sets out immediate, medium-term and long-term steps to deal with the underlying causes of recurring water interruptions.

New committee to drive delivery

WATERCOM was established after the 2026 State of the Nation Address as water supply problems became more severe in several parts of the country. Chaired by Ramaphosa, the committee brings together relevant government departments, public agencies and the South African Local Government Association. The Presidency said the action plan was developed through consultations involving all three spheres of government and key stakeholders. Dedicated teams have been appointed to coordinate implementation, speed up interventions and support lasting reform. WATERCOM will work directly with municipalities to bring in technical expertise, funding and partnerships needed to stabilise failing systems, restore essential services and expand access.

Infrastructure funding takes centre stage

A central feature of the plan is increased investment in water infrastructure, covering both bulk supply projects and local distribution networks. The government also wants to encourage private-sector participation where it can help deliver upgrades and strengthen capacity.

The plan identifies weak maintenance, inadequate investment and shortages of skilled personnel as major factors behind the crisis. It notes that water revenues collected by municipalities have often been redirected to other functions, leaving too little money for maintaining and expanding water infrastructure.

To address this, the government plans to ring-fence water revenues so that funds paid for water services are used for the systems that collect, treat and deliver water.

Stronger accountability and service management

The action plan also proposes legal and regulatory reforms intended to improve municipal water service delivery. Fragmented accountability has been identified as a serious barrier, as water and sanitation departments can be responsible for technical operations without having control over billing, revenue collection or protection of water assets.

Tighter coordination between these functions is expected to help municipalities manage water services more effectively and ensure that essential infrastructure receives the attention it needs.

The government also plans to target corruption and criminal activity in the water sector, which can undermine projects, waste public funds and delay service improvements.

Applying lessons from the energy crisis

Ramaphosa compared the approach to the government's response to the electricity crisis, saying the focus that helped improve Eskom's performance and reform the energy system would now be applied to water.

He said the National Water Action Plan offers a practical route towards water security, supported by regular WATERCOM meetings to monitor progress and hold departments and agencies accountable for delivery.