By Mulalo Luvhimbi
As voters went to the polls on Wednesday, the ANC mayors of Johannesburg and eThekwini announced plans to share solutions to their water crises, despite years of infrastructure failures and massive water losses in both municipalities.
The joint announcement offered no new funded projects, deadlines or measurable targets.
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero and eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba issued the joint statement on 4 November, the day of the local government elections, when deteriorating municipal services, including water and electricity supply, were among the major issues confronting voters.
Both municipalities entered the elections under ANC-led administrations without outright majorities. Johannesburg has been governed by a coalition known as the Government of Local Unity, while the ANC runs a minority administration in eThekwini with support from other parties.
EThekwini recorded non-revenue water of 58.7% in the audited 2024/25 financial year, up from 53.8% the previous year. The losses were valued at about R2.9 billion.
Johannesburg’s audited non-revenue water figure stood at 44.8% for the same financial year, representing about R3.8 billion in water that did not generate revenue.
Non-revenue water includes physical losses from leaking and burst pipes, illegal connections, metering inaccuracies and authorised consumption that is not billed.
Water problems were particularly acute in Johannesburg in the days leading up to the election.
In late October, Johannesburg Water warned that its supply systems were severely constrained, with excessive demand preventing reservoirs and towers from recovering.
The utility reported low water pressure, intermittent supply and prolonged outages across several areas, including Soweto, Sandton, Midrand, Randburg, Roodepoort and parts of the inner city.
It introduced targeted throttling to stabilise the network and proposed tighter water restrictions aimed at reducing demand by 15%.
By 3 November, Johannesburg Water operations manager Gugulethu Quma warned that the system had reached a critical stage, although it had not collapsed. She said more than R30 billion would be needed to address infrastructure problems and maintenance backlogs.
EThekwini has also struggled with prolonged interruptions, water losses and infrastructure damage caused by flooding and neglect.
In October, Xaba said the city had reduced non-revenue water from about 58% to 55% and repaired more than 9,000 leaks.
The backlog of reported water faults had also declined from about 13,000 in July to 3,900, according to the municipality, which is targeting a non-revenue water rate below 50% by the end of the year.
In June, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation said that the country’s average non-revenue water rate remained at 47.3% — the result of municipalities failing to implement corrective measures.
Johannesburg used the engagement with eThekwini to outline a turnaround strategy focused on improving customer and revenue management, strengthening its financial relationship with Johannesburg Water, increasing infrastructure investment and improving corporate governance.
EThekwini said it would reduce non-revenue water, strengthen plumbing and maintenance capacity, improve procurement planning and use bulk metering, water balances and night-flow analysis to identify losses.
“As Mayors, we emphasised that effective water management requires more than infrastructure investment. It also demands strong institutional capacity, sound financial management, effective governance, efficient procurement processes and consistent communication with communities,” said Morero.
The mayors also acknowledged the need to address maintenance backlogs while protecting funding for long-term infrastructure renewal and expansion.
The announcement came at a politically sensitive time for the ANC, which faced mounting electoral pressure in major metropolitan municipalities.
Johannesburg has experienced repeated changes in political leadership since the 2021 elections, with shifting coalitions complicating efforts to establish stable municipal administration.
In eThekwini, the ANC entered the election facing growing competition from the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and other opposition parties, with control of the municipality dependent on the outcome of voting and subsequent coalition arrangements.
“As metropolitan municipalities, we have a responsibility to learn from one another, share our experiences and strengthen our collective capacity to address the challenges facing our communities. Although our circumstances may differ, our commitment to improving water services remains the same. Through cooperation, institutional strengthening and practical interventions, we can build more resilient and sustainable cities,” said Xaba.
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