Situation critical for South Africa
On Tuesday, 31 March 2026, Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, released the Green Drop Report for 2025, assessing wastewater management across South Africa, which showed an increase in the number of critical wastewater systems.
South Africa has achieved a national No Drop Risk Ratio (NDRr) of 64.0%, which classifies the country as being at “medium risk.”
This represents a significant improvement from the 2023 score of 36.2%, largely attributed to enhanced data submission by municipalities.
However, 32% of Water Services Authorities (WSAs) are still in a critical state and require urgent intervention.
The national Non-Revenue Water (NRW) rate is currently at 47.3%, which is categorised as “extremely poor management.”
This means that nearly half of all treated water is either lost or unbilled. Of this loss, physical water leakage from inadequate infrastructure accounts for 32.0% of the total system input volume.
Currently, national water use exceeds available water resources by 13%, operating at 113% of available water resources.
Alarmingly, only 27% of Water Services Authorities (WSAs) have a good understanding of their available water resources.
Municipal water systems are under pressure 84% of the time. As a result of this intermittent supply, customers experience water shortages for an average of 58 days each year (about 4 hours per day).
This situation means that consumption statistics are artificially lowered and that infrastructure is severely damaged at the same time.
In the 2023/2024 financial year, municipalities invested R1.9 billion in Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WC/WDM) projects.
Despite this significant expenditure, there has been no positive impact, and non-revenue water actually increased by 87.9 million kilolitres.
Additionally, 83% of WSAs are classified as high risk because they lack comprehensive, funded, or implemented water demand management strategies.
The municipal water sector is also facing a human resources crisis, receiving a high-risk rating of 75%. There is currently a 28% vacancy rate, with 7,426 positions unfilled, and a critical shortage of specialised skills.
Only 370 professionally registered engineering staff work in municipal water departments across the country.
Progress and persistent challenges
“Several wastewater systems have demonstrated excellence, achieving Green Drop Certification and proving that world-class wastewater management is attainable,” said Majodina.
“However, the overall performance profile indicates that many municipalities continue to face capacity constraints, infrastructure deterioration, and operational risks.”
The Blue Drop, Green Drop, and No Drop Certification programmes are regulatory tools used by the Department of Water and Sanitation.
They aim to promote excellence and accountability among municipalities. These incentive-based programmes evaluate performance in three key areas: drinking water quality, wastewater treatment, and water conservation and demand management.
The report revealed that several wastewater systems achieved Green Drop Certification by demonstrating sufficient operational and financial management.
“Provinces and municipalities that prioritised operational discipline, invested in skilled personnel, and implemented risk-based management approaches have shown measurable progress,” said Majodina.
However, it also showed the overall national profile, demonstrating widespread deterioration of infrastructure, as well as capacity constraints.
The report shows an increase in “critical state” wastewater systems, which are reportedly caused by systemic weaknesses in asset management, technical capacity and compliance.
These increases show that action is needed to reverse the decline and to protect the public and the water available to them.
“The 2026 National Budget further reinforces this urgency. The government has identified infrastructure investment as the bedrock of long-term growth and service delivery,” said Majodina.
“This stresses the need for continued support for strategic wastewater programmes and catalytic infrastructure funding initiatives.”
“These commitments recognise that resilient water and sanitation systems are not only environmental imperatives but also drivers of economic development, public health, and social dignity.”
Majodina said the department will continue to celebrate municipalities that have shown good performance while working towards restoring the integrity of the country’s wastewater services.
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