South African engineers’ warning over critical infrastructure collapse
Engineers are warning that South Africa’s water crisis is not about a lack of water, but rather the collapse of municipal infrastructure—an issue they argue is both man-made and fixable.
Experts noted at the Infrastructure Africa event in Cape Town that the country loses nearly half of the treated water, around 47% being lost even before it reaches taps.
This is estimated to cost the broader South African economy a staggering R15 billion a year. Many of the experts pointed to Johannesburg as a clear example of the severity of the problem.
However, the situation is not unique to one city, and the engineering community is increasingly aligned in its view that the crisis is largely self-inflicted.
In a recent interview, the CEO of engineering firm AvenirHoldings, Tshidi Mndzebele, said she agreed with that statement when asked if the crisis is self-inflicted.
“The encouraging thing is that many of the solutions already exist if we focus on protecting and managing the water systems we already have.”
She pushed back against the narrative that South Africa is simply running out of water, noting that technical evidence suggests otherwise.
“Technical analysis actually shows us that outages frequently occur when dams are not even empty, and treatment plants are operational. This indicates that there’s a failure in downstream distribution networks,” she said.
According to Mndzebele, the real issue lies in deteriorating infrastructure such as leaking pipes, burst mains, illegal connections, faulty meters and inefficient systems.
“In practical terms, leaking pipes can be resolved, burst mains can be resolved, illegal connections can be resolved, faulty meters can be resolved, building inefficiencies can be resolved,” she said.
She added that while municipalities have historically invested heavily in bulk water infrastructure like dams, they have neglected the distribution networks that actually deliver water to households and businesses.
“These investments cannot deliver their intended benefit if the distribution infrastructure is failing,” she said.
The problem can be resolved within one budget cycle
She stressed the need for stronger engineering leadership, better governance and more structured infrastructure management.
“If municipalities can be a lot more structured in terms of infrastructure discipline, strong engineering leadership, transparent governance, as well as coordinated national implementation, I promise you, we will get somewhere.”
Mndzebele said practical, short-term solutions are readily available and could stabilise the system quickly if implemented correctly.
“We are able to put rapid system diagnostics in place, which will help municipalities conduct water balance assessments and identify high-loss zones so that interventions are targeted rather than reactive,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of addressing skills shortages within municipalities through partnerships with the private sector.
However, collaboration between municipalities and private engineering firms remains a challenge.
“I think it’s probably a two-way street. Local authorities would not want to deal with us, and on the other hand, we as engineers don’t want to get involved in the political landscape,” she said.
Payment issues are also a major deterrent. “Municipalities need to ensure that their governance structures are in place so that payments are made when service providers are offering a service.”
Despite these challenges, Mndzebele stressed that cooperation is essential. “This is not a municipal problem, it’s not an engineering problem—it’s a South African problem,” she said.
“We should be working together as a team because this is not a finger-pointing exercise; it’s a national crisis.”
Importantly, she believes that meaningful improvements could be achieved far quicker than many expect.
“If we look at the current issues—water leakage and downstream failures—the problem can be resolved within one budget cycle,” she said.
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