Municipal failures at centre of SA water crisis, says Majodina

By Thapelo Molefe

Failing municipalities are at the heart of South Africa’s worsening water crisis, with the majority unable to maintain infrastructure, manage water systems or deliver reliable services, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina said on Tuesday.

Presenting the latest  2025 Full Green Drop, Blue Drop and No Drop reports, Majodina said poor municipal performance is driving declining water quality, infrastructure collapse and widespread service delivery failures.

“A deterioration in municipal wastewater performance is one of the serious highlights that we are bringing today,” she said.

According to the report, 105 out of 144 water services authorities are performing poorly, leaving only a small number of municipalities operating effectively.

The minister pointed to a combination of governance failures, weak technical capacity and poor financial management as key drivers of the crisis.

“Many municipalities lack the capability to discharge their mandate in terms of governance and service delivery,” she said.