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Salga warns water tariff reform must not deepen poverty

Published

The Department of Water and Sanitation wants to replace its 2003 water services framework. A draft proposes an independent economic regulator, similar to Nersa, to oversee tariffs, and the South African Local Government Association (Salga) says poor households must be protected.

The draft framework is open for a 60-day public consultation, from 11 September to 11 November. Siboniso Ndlovu, a director in the department, said the 2003 framework does not match updated national water and sanitation policies. He said this has contributed to declining access to clean water and sanitation.

Salga sanitation specialist Alana Potter said cost recovery must be balanced against what people can afford. She said people are significantly poorer than they were. Potter said full cost recovery cannot apply to essential services, and they must be subsidised if residents cannot pay.

Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister Jack Bloom linked tariffs to municipal water losses, illegal connections and inaccurate billing. He said: "So, the key to all of this is to stop the leaks". Reports put water losses at 431-billion litres of treated water a year, valued at more than R14bn.

In Hammanskraal, Ndala Lakhi of the Greater Hammanskraal Environmental Forum said the City of Tshwane bills residents monthly although taps run dry. Tshwane mayoral spokesperson Samkele Mngobozi said the city wrote off water debt in Hammanskraal and Garankuwa, so it does not expect to recoup those bills.

Key facts

Who
Siboniso Ndlovu (director of water services policy, strategy and evaluation, department of…); Jack Bloom (deputy minister); Department of Water and Sanitation (government department reviewing the framework); Alana Potter (Salga sanitation specialist)
What
Officials said the existing water services framework, approved in 2003, is not aligned with updated national water and sanitation policies, contributing to declining access to clean water and adequate sanitation. The department is proposing a revised framework and is running a 60-day public consultation.
When
27 October 2026
Where
Gauteng, South Africa, Hammanskraal
Status
Reported

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