Water and Sanitation

Since water is a national treasure, the Division Water and Sanitation fulfills a pivotal role. The strategies which are developed by the Division are in accordance with the prescribed legal frameworks, including the National Water Services Regulation Strategy by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and which stipulates the following key objectives:

• Ensuring that consumers have access to a basic service. Many households in South Africa do not yet have access to a basic water supply and sanitation service. This objective should be a primary policy objective.


• Compliance with minimum standards. Consumers who have services must be protected from unsafe and poor services, e.g. drinking water which is not safe to drink or frequent and long interruptions to services.


• Environmental protection. Ensuring that appropriate investments are made in wastewater treatment and that all discharges from water and wastewater systems are managed appropriately to protect the environment.


• Financial sustainability. Ensuring that water services providers are financially sustainable and they have sufficient resources to operate and maintain the water services infrastructure, to expand the network as necessary, and to invest in the rehabilitation and replacement of the network over time.


• Cost effectiveness. Ensuring consumers get good value, resources are not wasted and that consumers do not pay more than is necessary.