By Thapelo Molefe
Millions of South Africans remain without clean drinking water, and failing infrastructure threatens to deepen the crisis.
With municipalities struggling to provide reliable water services and criminal syndicates profiting from illegal water sales, the government has vowed to take immediate action.
Closing the 2025 National Water and Sanitation Indaba on Friday, Deputy President Paul Mashatile warned that if decisive action was not taken, South Africa would face a full-scale water disaster.
“Water is life… It is not just a commodity, but a vital resource essential for the survival of our communities and households, for businesses to operate and for the economy to grow,” Mashatile said.
He reiterated that water security must be prioritised, as failure to protect the resource would hinder national development goals.
The two-day indaba in Midrand saw government leaders, municipal officials and industry experts deliberate on pressing water issues.
It concluded with a high-level
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