CAPE TOWN - South Africa faces a hefty bill of R400 billion to fix its crumbling water and sanitation systems.
That’s according to Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, who told Parliament the nationwide maintenance backlog is vast while funding is limited.
Only R26 billion has been budgeted for water and sanitation services in the 2025/26 financial year, including municipal grants.
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Municipalities are meant to fund maintenance from water sales, but ageing infrastructure, leaks and billing problems mean much of that water earns no revenue.
As a result, 73 percent of the country’s water authorities are now rated poor or in critical condition.