28 July 2026

The African National Congress (ANC) Parliamentary Study Group on Water and Sanitation strongly welcomes and supports the firm commitment made by President Cyril Ramaphosa to resolve South Africa’s persistent water challenges through the decisive implementation of the National Water Action Plan.

Water is an indispensable fundamental human right, a driver of economic growth, and a cornerstone of social dignity. The President’s clear focus on tackling the root causes of supply disruptions—ranging from municipal operational failures to non-revenue water losses—signals a crucial turning point in restoring security of supply across all communities.

Key Pillars of Support and Call to Action 

1. Endorsing Executive Interventions and Legislative Reforms 

The Study Group fully aligns with the establishment of the National Water Crisis Committee (WATERCOM) to maintain regular oversight, drive inter-departmental accountability, and ensure technical interventions yield tangible results on the ground.

Furthermore, we express our unequivocal support for the Water Services Amendment Bill currently before Parliament. By establishing a clear separation between the regulatory role of municipalities as Water Services Authorities and the operational function of water providers—supported by mandatory licensing standards—this legislation will introduce much-needed competence, transparency, and accountability into local water management.

2. Urging Citizens and Ratepayers to Pay for Consumption 

While the state remains constitutionally obligated to protect vulnerable and indigent households, the financial sustainability of our water system requires active civic responsibility. We encourage a culture of paying for services. All residents, businesses and government departments must make it the norm to pay for the water they consume and fulfil their financial obligations responsibly. Prompt payment for water services is essential to ensuring the sustainability, maintenance and continued delivery of reliable water services for everyone.

3. Urgent Directives to Municipalities: 

To create a functioning, self-sustaining water ecosystem, municipalities must urgently execute the following: 

• Accurate Ratepayer Billing: Municipalities must immediately address faulty metering systems and erratic billing practices to ensure that ratepayers are billed correctly and fairly for actual water consumed. 
• Eliminate Non-Revenue Water: With nearly half of all treated water across the country lost to pipe leaks, illegal connections, and unbilled consumption, municipal leadership must prioritize immediate network repairs, leak detection, and infrastructure protection to stop the loss of precious bulk water resources. 
• Ring-Fence Water Revenue: We call on all municipalities to fully embrace the Metropolitan Trading Services Reform Programme and ring-fence all revenue derived from water and sanitation sales. Proceeds from water sales must strictly remain within water utilities to fund maintenance, upgrade bulk infrastructure, and recruit skilled engineers and technicians—rather than being diverted to fund unrelated municipal operational deficits. 

Building a Virtuous Cycle 

Maintaining and ring-fencing water revenue creates a virtuous cycle: robust financial management enables timely infrastructure repair; effective maintenance minimizes non-revenue losses; and reliable, high-quality water supply encourages compliant payment from satisfied ratepayers.

The ANC Study Group on Water and Sanitation remains steadfast in supporting President Ramaphosa, the Department of Water and Sanitation, and all sector stakeholders as we build a water-secure South Africa that delivers safe, reliable running water to every household, business, and farm in our nation. 

Issued by: ANC Parliamentary Study Group on Water and Sanitation

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