The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) remains committed to supporting reforms aimed at improving water and sanitation service delivery.
This is according to SALGA National Executive Committee (NEC) member, Nikiwe Num, who delivered a message of support during a National Ministerial Webinar held on Friday, to track progress on the implementation of the 2025 Water and Sanitation Indaba resolutions.
Num said SALGA supports key focus areas identified at the Indaba, including improving delivery models, strengthening financial viability, building technical capacity, fostering partnerships, and addressing criminality and corruption in the sector.
She emphasised that while municipalities are ready to transition from commitment to delivery, implementation must remain aligned with constitutional and legislative frameworks, noting that local government is constitutionally mandated as water services authorities and directly accountable to communities.
Num stressed the importance of strengthening intergovernmental relations, saying sustained political engagement and coordination across all spheres of government are critical to resolving water and sanitation challenges.
In the absence of sufficient coordination mechanisms, SALGA has initiated internal processes to support municipalities, including developing guidance frameworks that highlight risks and outline available support.
She said ongoing engagements with municipalities have revealed concerns about the pace and approach to implementing some resolutions, including tight timelines, limited consultation, and perceptions of compliance-driven implementation.
“These concerns are particularly acute in municipalities already facing financial constraints, ageing infrastructure, skills shortages and high levels of non-revenue water,” she said.
Num noted that persistent water service challenges are often rooted in structural issues such as under investment in infrastructure, operational constraints, and external pressures, including energy instability and climate-related impacts, rather than simply non-compliance.
She called for a more coordinated and supportive approach to reform, underpinned by flexibility and differentiation to accommodate the varying conditions of municipalities.
“A one-size-fits-all approach will not work. Reforms must respond to the diverse realities across municipalities,” she said.
SALGA reaffirmed key guiding principles for implementation, including the need for regulatory requirements to be matched with adequate support, the prioritisation of financial sustainability, and the strengthening of cooperative governance through established intergovernmental platforms.
Num reaffirmed SALGA’s committed to providing legal, fiscal, governance and technical advisory support to municipalities, with a focus on improving service delivery, strengthening institutional capacity and ensuring long-term sustainability.
She called for continued alignment between reform initiatives and municipal planning cycles, as well as sustained collaboration with the Department of Water and Sanitation, development partners and the private sector.
“SALGA remains committed to working constructively with national and provincial partners to improve water and sanitation outcomes for all communities,” she said.
Support for regulatory reforms
African Water and Sanitation Industry Association Chairperson, Ramateu Monyokolo, also expressed support for ongoing reforms in the sector.
Monyokolo said there was a need to advance regulatory reforms, including the establishment of an independent water regulator, and to continue efforts to professionalise the sector.
He noted that AWSISA will further assess progress on the implementation of water sector resolutions at its upcoming conference later this year, while continuing to engage global partners to support South Africa’s commitments to sustainable development and water security.
“We support all programmes aimed at stabilising the sector and ensuring water security in the country,” Monyokolo said. – SAnews.gov.za
