South Africa’s water crisis needs R400bn to fix: Here’s what government is doing about it

Resident queue for water in Linmeyer, Johannesburg on 7 July 2021. Picture: Neil McCartney Despite water access rising from 55% in 1994 to 90% in 2026, millions of South Africans still face unreliable and unsafe water supplies. The Department of Water and Sanitation has outlined a multi-pronged response but admits that the gap between available funding and what is actually needed remains wide.

South Africa’s water story is a tale of two realities. On paper, access to basic water services has improved dramatically in the past three decades. But behind that statistic, a different picture has emerged – one in which households with pipes and infrastructure still lack a safe, consistent water supply.

The department recently acknowledged the deterioration, noting a “notable decline in the reliability and quality of municipal water supply, with many households experiencing inconsistent or unsafe water despite having infrastructure in place”. In response, the department said it has introduced a range of immediate stabilisation measures, particularly targeting rural and historically underserved communities. These include the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG), the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG), the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), and, for metropolitan municipalities, the Urban Settlements Development Grant (USDG). The department has prioritised the 105 worst-performing WSAs, as identified through its Blue and Green Drop reporting system.