South Africa’s silent water crisis deepens amid broken systems and public distrust

IN a nation where one in three water supply systems teeters on the brink of collapse, recycled wastewater is quietly making its way into South African taps.

With only 23% of drinking water meeting chemical safety standards and nearly 90% of wastewater released untreated or partially treated into rivers and oceans, experts have warned that the country’s crumbling infrastructure has already forced municipalities to turn to desperate measures, including “toilet-to-tap” reuse.

But while the technology exists to recycle water safely, accountability and transparency remain dangerously absent. “What makes it unsafe isn’t the concept of recycling water,” said Herman Stoop, governance, risk, and compliance specialist at WWISE, a leading consultancy firm specialising in ISO standards implementation. “It’s poor infrastructure, limited treatment capacity, and the lack of transparency that leaves consumers completely in the dark.”

The stakes are high. According to the Auditor-General’s PFMA Report for 2023–24, just 40% of South Africa’s water systems met microbiological safety standards. Of 850 wastewater treatment plants across the country, 39% were in a state of disrepair so severe that they required constant regulatory surveillance.

Meanwhile, R10.3 billion was lost through wasteful government spending last year alone, with weak procurement practices and botched projects exacerbating the crisis.

“Most people assume the water coming out of their taps is clean and safe,” warned Anzette Niemand, an ISO consultant based in Cape Town. “But many systems aren’t just outdated — they’re failing. And public awareness of what recycled water actually is, how it’s treated, and whether it’s being consumed without proper oversight is shockingly low.”

Recent cholera outbreaks, sewage spills, and regular “no drop” scores in government assessments only deepened suspicions about the quality of the country’s drinking water. Gareth Swart, senior process engineer at WWISE, acknowledged the growing mistrust but insisted that the problem lay not with the science itself.

“The irony here is that recycled water — when properly treated — can be cleaner than surface water from polluted rivers or dams,” he said. “The technology exists. What’s missing is implementation and accountability.”

Yet, even as international examples such as Singapore’s NEWater programme demonstrate success, providing up to 40% of the city-state’s water needs through ultra-clean recycled water, South Africa lags behind.

Namibia has also been using potable reuse successfully for decades, offering lessons in both technical execution and public trust-building. However, efforts closer to home, such as Cape Town’s response during the 2018 Day Zero drought scare, were inconsistent at best.

“Singapore didn’t just build the systems — they built public trust,” Swart said. “If we want recycled water to become part of our national solution, South Africa must do the same.”

Experts argue that adopting international quality standards like ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 24510 (Drinking Water & Wastewater Services), and ISO 14046 (Water Footprint) could provide a lifeline for struggling municipalities. These frameworks offer auditable, transparent processes designed to ensure compliance, even in under-resourced environments.

“Standards alone won’t fix a broken municipality,” Stoop said. “But they provide structure, accountability, and independent verification. That’s a huge step forward in a sector plagued by mistrust and technical failures.”

Still, implementing these systems would require more than mere paperwork. It demands sustained investment in infrastructure, technical training, and robust monitoring mechanisms. Decentralised solutions, better reporting systems, and partnerships between private entities and local governments are essential steps toward progress.

Niemand highlighted the need for systemic change: “We need billions in investment, yes—but we also need institutional cultures that prioritise training skilled personnel and retaining them. ISO systems help embed that kind of culture.”

With climate change driving increasingly frequent droughts and urban demand surging, water reuse is no longer optional — it’s inevitable. As Stoop bluntly put it: “We can no longer afford to treat wastewater as waste. It’s a resource, and if handled properly, one that could ensure long-term water security for South Africa.”

For now, however, millions of South Africans remain unaware that their drinking water might already include recycled wastewater. Worse still, there is little assurance that current systems are equipped to handle this transition safely.

As Niemand warned: “Public education correlates directly with acceptance of reclaimed water. Until we bridge that gap, we’ll continue to see resistance — and potentially dire consequences.”

In a country grappling with chronic mismanagement and financial losses totalling billions, the question isn’t whether South Africans will drink recycled water — it’s whether they’ll trust the system enough to swallow it willingly.