President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasized the urgent need to implement the National Water Action Plan to ensure reliable water supply across South Africa.

The plan focuses on five key intervention areas, targeting systemic issues in municipal water management, including poor maintenance, insufficient funding, and misallocation of resources.Over half of the water pumped in many municipalities fails to reach customers due to leaks, theft, or lack of billing.

To address this, the government is advancing legislative reforms through the Water Services Amendment Bill, which separates municipal oversight from service delivery operators.Financial mechanisms like the Metropolitan Trading Services Reform Programme aim to ring-fence water revenues for infrastructure investment.

Ongoing projects include drilling boreholes in underserved areas, establishing Catchment Management Agencies, and partnerships with private entities to improve service delivery.Ramaphosa highlighted that while new infrastructure is vital, prioritizing maintenance of existing systems is critical to resolving the crisis.The plan involves collaboration across national departments, provinces, and municipalities to ensure accountability and long-term sustainability.