NATIONAL Water Week (16–20 March) and World Water Day (22 March) arrive at a critical moment for South Africa’s water sector. Decades of ageing infrastructure, municipal water loss, and persistent skills shortages have left many local authorities struggling to deliver reliable, safe water services.
Recent data indicate that municipalities lose nearly half of all treated water to leaks, theft, and inefficiencies, highlighting a systemic breakdown that awareness alone cannot fix. “Infrastructure funding alone is not enough; skilled professionals are what turn investment into results,” says Dr Lester Goldman, CEO of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), underscoring the human dimension of water security.
Technical and managerial capacity gaps
South Africa’s municipalities continue to suffer from critical gaps in technical and managerial capacity. Asset registers are incomplete, preventative maintenance programmes are inconsistent, and modern monitoring systems are not widely adopted. Without solid foundations in these areas, water systems deteriorate further, and leaks and outages proliferate.
“Capacity speaks of the right mix of people, processes and policies within organisations responsible for water, but skills are about the people themselves possessing standards‑based talent to perform their duties effectively,” Dr Goldman elaborates, pointing to the need for strengthened leadership, management, and on‑the‑ground technical expertise across the sector.
Governance and professionalisation
Challenges In addition to technical shortages, governance challenges compound the crisis. Weak accountability, unclear leadership structures, and insufficient financial discipline can derail even well‑intended reforms. To address this, experts stress the value of professionalisation, continuous training, and effective succession planning. “Community participation is essential to preserving this precious but scarce resource, without which we cannot survive,” Dr Goldman notes in reference to empowering local stakeholders as part of sustainable water management.
“These projects show the importance of community involvement, but they can only succeed through good leadership and professional expertise.”
Embedding gender in water leadership
The theme for World Water Day 2026 is “Water and Gender”, which highlights the imperative of embedding gender perspectives into workforce development and leadership pipelines. Increasing the participation of women in technical roles, governance forums, and training programmes not only strengthens institutional capacity but broadens the talent pool available to meet future challenges.
Emergency preparedness and risk management
Emergency preparedness is another key priority. Many municipalities lack documented Water Safety Plans and rehearsed emergency response protocols. Dr Goldman and other water leaders advocate for standardised plans with clear responsibilities, routine emergency drills, and coordination with disaster management centres to mitigate the impacts of failures.
Partnerships and long-term capacity building
Partnerships among government, industry, and civil society are central to overcoming these interconnected challenges. Policy stability, investment in skills development, and transparent collaboration frameworks will be essential if South Africa is to transition from crisis management to sustainable water stewardship.
While it is important to continue championing professional accreditation, benchmarking standards, and practical capacity‑building initiatives that can be directly adopted by water service providers, as Dr Goldman asserts, “Without the right skills and professional competence, even the best infrastructure and plans can fall short.”
The strength of South Africa’s future water security lies not in awareness alone, but in resilient infrastructure, capable institutions, and an inclusive, professionalised workforce that can manage water well today and into the future.
