South Africa’s rivers and wetlands are in steep ecological decline, with about 65% of river length and 86% of wetland ecosystem extent threatened.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) said that those findings — contained in the 2025 National Biodiversity Assessment — had prompted it to launch a community-based freshwater conservation initiative this week.

The project will draw on traditional knowledge and citizen science, positioning traditional healers as partners in local water stewardship.

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Sello Seitlholo launched the programme at the Itsoseng Traditional Healers Site in Mabopane, Johannesburg, as part of World Wetlands Day on Monday.

The project, the department said, recognises traditional healers as custodians of sacred freshwater sites and active partners in water resource management.

“Through the programme, traditional healers will be equipped with basic water-quality monitoring tools, formally participate as citizen scientists, and contribute indigenous knowledge to

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