By Ramateu Monyokolo
Friday, 26 June 2026 marks the 71st anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter. In a country still confronting inequality, poverty and uneven access to basic services, the Charter endures not simply as a historical document, but as a living framework through which to evaluate both our progress and our shortcomings. Its relevance lies not in nostalgia, but in its enduring insistence that political freedom must be accompanied by social justice, human dignity and tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens.
The democratic Constitution that emerged from the liberation struggle gave legal expression to many of the Charter’s aspirations, including the recognition of access to sufficient water as a fundamental human right. In this respect, the constitutional right to water is not merely a policy commitment or service delivery obligation. It is a direct continuation of the Freedom Charter’s vision of a society founded on equality, dignity and social justice.
The drafters of the Freedom Charter understood that democracy would be incomplete if millions remained trapped in conditions of deprivation and exclusion. The Charter was a declaration of social justice and a blueprint for creating a society in which freedom would be measured not only by the rights secured, but also by the lives improved. It recognised that human dignity requires more than the right to vote. Freedom would have to encompass economic opportunity, social justice and access to the basic conditions necessary for a dignified life.
Few sectors illustrate the enduring relevance of this vision more clearly than water and sanitation. While the Freedom Charter does not explicitly mention either, its commitment to human dignity and social justice leaves little doubt about their place in the democratic project. When it proclaimed that “There Shall Be Houses, Security and Comfort,” it recognised that the quality of life enjoyed by citizens would be one of the most important measures of freedom itself. Safe drinking water, decent sanitation and healthy living conditions are indispensable components of that vision.
Under apartheid, access to water and sanitation reflected the broader architecture of racial exclusion. Infrastructure investment was directed overwhelmingly towards privileged areas, while millions of black South Africans in townships, informal settlements and rural communities were denied reliable water supplies and adequate sanitation. The consequences were severe, contributing to poor health outcomes, environmental degradation and the systematic denial of opportunities for development.
The democratic breakthrough of 1994 marked a decisive turning point. Guided by the values embodied in the Freedom Charter and later entrenched in the Constitution, democratic South Africa embarked on one of the most ambitious programmes of basic service delivery in the country’s history. Millions of South Africans have since gained access to potable water and sanitation services that were previously beyond their reach.
The scale of this achievement should not be understated. Statistics South Africa’s General Household Survey shows that access to piped or tap water increased from 84.4% of households in 2002 to 87.7% in 2024. Over the same period, the number of households receiving municipal water services increased by approximately 6.3 million. Access to improved sanitation rose from 61.7% in 2002 to 83.1% in 2024. These figures represent far more than statistical progress. They reflect millions of South Africans whose health, quality of life and economic opportunities have improved through democratic governance and sustained public investment.
Rural villages that once depended on rivers, streams and distant boreholes have been connected to formal water systems. Schools, clinics and households have benefited from infrastructure investments that have improved public health and living conditions. These gains demonstrate that democracy has not only expanded political rights, but has also improved the material conditions of millions of people.
Progress has also been supported by institutional reforms aimed at promoting sustainable water resource management. Among the most important has been the establishment of Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs), which give practical effect to the principles of integrated water resource management contained in the National Water Act. By promoting stakeholder participation and decentralised water governance, CMAs are helping to ensure that South Africa’s water resources are managed more equitably and sustainably.
The Freedom Charter compels us to measure ourselves not only against where we came from, but also against where we aspire to be. Expanding access is not the same as guaranteeing reliable, quality service. While millions more South Africans are connected to water systems than at the dawn of democracy, many communities continue to experience intermittent supply, infrastructure failures and declining service quality.
The Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop reports provide a sobering assessment of these realities. They point to persistent weaknesses in municipal water and sanitation services, including ageing infrastructure, inadequate maintenance, financial constraints, technical skills shortages and governance failures. The 2023 Blue Drop Report found that 29% of water supply systems were in a critical state, while almost half recorded poor or unacceptable microbiological water quality compliance. The No Drop Report revealed that national non-revenue water had risen to 47%, meaning that nearly half of treated water is lost through leaks and other inefficiencies. Equally concerning, the Green Drop assessment found that 64% of wastewater treatment works were classified as high or critical risk, posing significant environmental and public health challenges.
These findings should not be interpreted as a negation of democratic progress. Rather, they illuminate the next frontier of transformation. The first democratic era focused on extending services to communities that had been deliberately excluded under apartheid. The task before us now is to modernise ageing infrastructure, strengthen technical capacity, improve governance and build capable institutions so that the promise of universal access is matched by the reality of reliable and sustainable service delivery.
This challenge is compounded by the growing impact of climate change. South Africa is one of the world’s water-scarce countries, and changing weather patterns are increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts, floods and extreme weather events. As population growth, urbanisation and economic development place additional pressure on limited water resources, water security is becoming an increasingly urgent national priority.
The importance of addressing these challenges extends beyond domestic concerns. South Africa has committed itself to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 6, which seeks to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. While notable progress has been achieved, meeting this target will require accelerated investment, stronger municipal performance, improved water conservation and enhanced institutional capacity.
Fortunately, there are grounds for confidence and optimism. South Africa possesses substantial technical expertise, robust policy frameworks and institutions capable of driving reform. Major infrastructure projects are being implemented to improve long-term water security, while efforts to strengthen municipal governance and service delivery are receiving renewed attention. The establishment of the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency represents an important step towards improving the planning, financing and management of strategic water infrastructure. Together with the work of CMAs and other sector institutions, these initiatives signal a growing recognition that water security is central to economic growth, social development and national stability.
The Freedom Charter remains relevant because its authors understood that transformation is a process rather than an event and that the injustices created over centuries could not be reversed within a single generation. Every household connected to a reliable water supply, every community protected from waterborne disease, every learner attending a school with safe sanitation facilities and every municipality capable of delivering sustainable services represents a practical expression of the Charter’s vision. Water and sanitation are not merely technical matters. They are instruments of social justice and essential foundations of equality, public health, economic participation and human dignity.
As we commemorate the seventy-first anniversary of the Freedom Charter, we do so with pride and determination. Pride in democratic South Africa’s progress in extending water and sanitation to millions, and determination to ensure that every South African enjoys reliable basic services for a dignified life.
As we honour the legacy of the Freedom Charter, let us recommit ourselves to the principle that access to water and sanitation is not simply a service delivery objective. It is a constitutional imperative, a development priority and, above all, a matter of justice and human dignity.
Ramateu Monyokolo is Chairperson of the Association for Water and Sanitation Institutions of South Africa (AWSISA)
