South Africa’s water purification and wastewater treatment plants are continuing to deteriorate, resulting in significant losses of treated water, pollution of rivers and dams, and heightened health risks for communities.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) recently released its 2025 Green Drop Report on wastewater system performance, alongside progress assessments on drinking water quality (Blue Drop) and water use efficiency (No Drop). The findings paint a concerning picture of ongoing decline, with regional disparities clearly evident.
Anet Muir, Chief Director of Water Use Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement at the DWS, highlighted that drinking water risks are concentrated in a limited number of weaker-performing provinces. The Western Cape and Gauteng showed the best overall performance, while the Northern Cape and Free State require urgent attention due to their high proportions of high- and critical-risk systems.
In the Green Drop Report, which evaluates 848 wastewater treatment systems nationwide, 396 systems — or 47% — scored below 31% on the department’s scorecard, classifying them as critical. This represents a worsening trend from previous assessments. The evaluation considers whether water services authorities have appropriate technology, sufficient treatment capacity, qualified personnel, and adequate financial resources to operate the infrastructure.
Muir explained that critical systems often result in untreated or poorly treated wastewater entering rivers, increasing nutrient loads in dams. This leads to algal blooms, promotes the growth of invasive alien species, and raises the cost and risk of producing safe drinking water downstream due to higher contamination levels.
The department has taken enforcement action where cooperation has failed. Currently, 63 water services authorities face criminal cases, primarily related to non-compliance with wastewater standards. Muir noted that the Constitution prioritizes intergovernmental cooperation to resolve issues, but criminal proceedings become necessary when municipalities do not adhere to warnings.
On the drinking water and water loss front, the No Drop Report reveals that non-revenue water stands at approximately 47% nationally. This includes physical losses through leaks, which account for about 27% in some major areas such as Gauteng — equating to roughly 431 million cubic metres of water annually, nearly matching the total volume of purified tap water supplied to the entire Western Cape.
Muir pointed out that the Western Cape’s relatively lower losses stem in part from heightened public awareness following the near “Day Zero” drought crisis, where residents actively report leaks and conserve water. In contrast, much of the country lacks this level of vigilance.
These losses create a vicious financial cycle: municipalities struggle to recover costs from water supplied by bulk providers like Rand Water, limiting their ability to maintain infrastructure, while treatment and pumping expenses continue regardless of whether the water reaches paying consumers or is lost.
Muir acknowledged challenges in public trust and municipal responsiveness, sharing that citizens sometimes wait extended periods for service calls. However, she urged residents to continue reporting leaks, illegal connections, unmetered usage, and overflowing manholes — either directly to municipalities (via phone or email) or by escalating to the DWS call centre when there is no response. Metropolitan municipalities are also under performance targets linked to national treasury grants for infrastructure upgrades, which incentivize better service delivery.
The DWS is amending the Water Services Act to introduce stronger penalties for water wastage and failure to meet national drinking water standards.
Muir concluded by stressing the need for ongoing citizen accountability and municipal improvement to break the cycle of decline and prevent further environmental and health impacts. The full reports are available on the Department of Water and Sanitation website.