The Association of Water and Sanitation Institutions of South Africa (AWSISA) wishes to clarify recent narratives that incorrectly implicate Water Boards in South Africa’s water crisis. The current crisis stems not from Water Boards but from the widespread collapse of municipal governance and service delivery, which has resulted in several communities being left without water for days. Water Boards are Schedule 3B state-owned enterprises established under the Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997). Critically, Water Boards are self-funding, receiving no bailouts or operational grants from the government, unlike municipalities, which benefit from multiple infrastructure-related grants.
Despite this, Water Boards are owed over R28 billion by municipalities that have failed to pay for the bulk water they procure. This non-payment is the greatest threat to the sustainability of Water Boards. All municipalities are Water Service Authorities and have appointed themselves as Water Service Providers, despite lacking the necessary technical, managerial, and financial capacity. The envisaged legislative changes are anticipated to license capable Water Service Providers to mitigate against these challenges. The Presidential Water and Sanitation Indaba and the Green, Blue, and No Drop reports released by the Department of Water and Sanitation in December 2023 confirm the crisis: more than 100 municipalities are dysfunctional, with failing infrastructure, poor water quality, and ineffective use of water-related grants. Billions of rands in infrastructure funding are returned to the fiscus annually due to failure to spend, further eroding public trust and worsening the crisis. Nonetheless, Water Boards continue to assist municipalities, providing technical support, emergency water, and infrastructure guidance in pursuit of the sector’s constitutional mandate and South Africa’s commitment to SDG 6 (provision of clean water and sanitation for all).
What is urgently needed is a new delivery model.
Under AWSISA’s leadership, Water Boards have proposed a Public-Public-Private Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model. This would enable Water Boards, municipalities, and the private sector to collaborate on effective, transparent, and sustainable water service delivery. This model has received in-principle support from many municipalities and full endorsement from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation and the Department and now awaits concurrence from the National Treasury. AWSISA calls on Parliament, including the leadership of parties such as Build One South Africa (BOSA), to shift focus toward structural reform and address actual challenges. Parliament must urgently address the collapse of municipalities, strengthen oversight, and support institutional reforms that can secure South Africa’s water future. The facts are clear: Water Boards are not the problem. They are part of the solution.
