Today, 25 May 2026, the African continent commemorates Africa Day. We do so at a defining historical moment in our collective developmental journey. Across Africa, millions of people continue to confront the harsh realities of water scarcity, inadequate sanitation infrastructure, climate change, rapid urbanisation and deep developmental inequalities inherited from colonialism and underdevelopment.
The theme of Africa Day 2026, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063”, therefore speaks directly to the central developmental challenge confronting the continent. This theme reminds us that water security is not merely an environmental concern. It is fundamentally about human dignity, economic development, public health, social justice and the future sustainability of African societies.
In many parts of the continent, recurring droughts, ageing infrastructure, weak institutional capacity and limited investment continue to undermine access to clean drinking water and dignified sanitation. Rural communities remain particularly vulnerable, while women and children continue to bear a disproportionate burden of water insecurity.
Without reliable access to clean water and safe sanitation, children cannot learn effectively, healthcare systems cannot function optimally, agricultural production remains constrained, and economic development becomes severely limited. Water insecurity perpetuates poverty, inequality and social instability. It undermines the aspirations embodied in African Union Agenda 2063 and weakens Africa’s ability to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.
Despite these challenges, Africa continues to show resilience and innovation. Governments are investing in water infrastructure, regional cooperation, climate adaptation and institutional reform. The quest for universal water and sanitation access remains central to Africa’s broader struggle for economic emancipation and development.
For South Africa, this issue carries deep historical weight. The 1994 democratic breakthrough inherited one of the world’s most racially unequal water systems. Under apartheid, black South Africans were systematically denied clean water and sanitation. The new democratic government elevated water from a privilege to a constitutional right and has since extended services to millions of households, particularly in historically neglected rural areas, townships and clinics.
South Africa has undertaken one of the most ambitious public infrastructure programmes in the developing world. We have invested hundreds of billions of rand – with cumulative expenditure across national, provincial and municipal spheres well exceeding R1 trillion when including both direct infrastructure grants and operational subsidies – to reverse the spatial inequalities of apartheid and extend basic water and sanitation services to historically neglected communities.
Through sustained investment in dams, bulk pipelines, reticulation networks, wastewater treatment works and rural water schemes, millions of households have gained access to clean drinking water and improved sanitation. These investments are not isolated construction projects. They are practical expressions of a developmental state committed to social transformation, economic inclusion and the restoration of human dignity.
They demonstrate that infrastructure development remains central to the transformative agenda of government and to the broader objectives of building a national democratic society. They also reflect a profound national commitment that water and sanitation are not luxuries for the privileged, but constitutional rights essential to human dignity, public health, economic opportunity and social justice.
The results speak for themselves. In 1994, only about 60% of South Africans had access to safe water, with an estimated 14 to 15 million people without basic supply. Today, between 85% and 93% of households have access to improved water sources, with government often citing that nine out of ten South Africans now have access to clean drinking water. Across South Africa, water is flowing not only through pipes, reservoirs and dams, but through the lived reality of communities whose lives are steadily being transformed by democracy.
Sanitation coverage has similarly improved substantially, rising from around 49–61% with improved facilities in the early post-apartheid years to between 83% and 91% in recent assessments. These gains represent one of the most significant extensions of basic services in our country’s history and contribute meaningfully to the National Development Plan, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6.
However, the palatable truth is that impressive access statistics do not tell the full story. While we have made remarkable strides in extending coverage, we are now confronting a far more difficult second-generation challenge – ensuring that these services are reliable, sustainable and of acceptable quality.
Many municipalities continue to grapple with ageing infrastructure, severe maintenance backlogs estimated in the hundreds of billions of rand, underperforming wastewater treatment works and frequent service interruptions. As a result, South Africa remains off-track for achieving truly universal, safely managed water and sanitation services by the 2030 SDG deadline. These realities do not erase the progress of the past three decades, but they demand honesty and decisive action if we are to prevent hard-won gains from eroding.
Meeting the ambitions of the National Development Plan will require more than continued funding. It demands deep institutional reform, stronger municipal governance and
technical capacity, smarter public-private partnerships, a ruthless focus on reducing water losses and a culture of excellence in maintenance and operations.
Across our continent, where hundreds of millions still lack safely managed drinking water and adequate sanitation, South Africa stands as a relative success story. This is clear evidence of what determined public investment and political will can achieve. These gains did not emerge by accident. They were driven by deliberate constitutional, legislative and policy interventions anchored in the developmental vision of the democratic state. Section 27 of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to sufficient water, while government carries the responsibility to progressively realise that right. This constitutional commitment continues to guide South Africa’s developmental agenda and aligns closely with the continental ambitions articulated in Agenda 2063 and the global commitments embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Equally important is the recognition that sustainable water security cannot be achieved through infrastructure investment alone. Building effective governance within water utilities, municipalities and water institutions is indispensable to ensuring long-term sustainability, operational efficiency and reliable service delivery. Even the most sophisticated dams, pipelines, reservoirs and treatment plants cannot function effectively without capable institutions, ethical leadership, financial discipline and technical expertise. Water security ultimately depends not only on the availability of water resources, but also on the institutional capacity to manage those resources responsibly, equitably and sustainably in the interests of present and future generations.
At the same time, an honest assessment of the democratic journey requires acknowledgement of the immense challenges that still remain. However, confronting these realities does not mean surrendering to pessimism or despair. Rather, it reflects a democratic state that understands the scale of the challenge and remains determined to confront it decisively. Under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Pemmy Majodina, government has intensified efforts to rebuild infrastructure, restore
institutional capacity, unblock stalled projects and strengthen governance across the water sector.
South Africa’s experience offers important lessons for the continent. The struggle for universal access to water and sanitation is ultimately part of the broader African struggle for dignity, equality and freedom from underdevelopment. As we mark Africa Day, let us celebrate the real strides we have made in expanding access and restoring dignity to millions.
Africa Day must serve both as a moment of reflection and a continental call to action. We must strengthen cooperation across the continent, invest boldly in infrastructure, protect our water resources and ensure that development reaches the poor, the marginalised and the historically excluded. For, in securing water, sanitation and hygiene for every African child, we are not merely building infrastructure. We are also building the foundations of the Africa envisioned in Agenda 2063, one that is prosperous, dignified, inclusive and fully in control of its destiny.
Future generations will judge us not by the eloquence of our declarations, but by the courage of our implementation. Let it be said that when confronted with mounting water insecurity, Africa refused to despair and instead mobilised its collective resolve to defend life, dignity and development.
Ramateu Monyokolo is Chairperson of Rand Water and the Association of Water and Sanitation Institutions of South Africa (AWSISA)
