President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the establishment of a National Water Crisis Committee, a high‑level structure he will personally chair as South Africa confronts an escalating water emergency affecting the country.
Unveiling the initiative during his State of the Nation Address on Thursday night, Ramaphosa said the country’s water shortages had become one of its most urgent challenges, citing widespread supply disruptions in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, North West and Limpopo provinces.
He said the committee “will bring together all existing efforts into a single coordinating body.”
“It will deploy technical experts and resources from national government to municipalities facing water challenges. It will ensure that action is taken swiftly and effectively to address the problem.”
He warned that the current water crisis stemmed from “systemic failures and many years of neglecting infrastructure,” particularly at municipal level.
Ramaphosa said the model mirrors the National Energy Crisis Committee, which was created to tackle electricity load shedding.
South Africa’s water system has come under severe strain in recent years.
Ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance, financial mismanagement and rapid urban growth have left many municipalities unable to meet demand.
In Gauteng province, residents have endured repeated outages linked to failing pumps, power cuts and overburdened reservoirs.
In parts of the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, communities have relied on water tankers for months due to dysfunctional treatment plants.
Ramaphosa issued a stern warning to non‑performing municipalities, saying government will lay criminal charges against municipal managers who violate the Water Services Act. Charges have already been filed against 56 municipalities.
JN/APA