In 2023, the New Development Bank announced a significant investment in the “South Africa Municipal Water Supply and Sanitation Program,” committing R1 billion to address critical infrastructure needs.
This project is a key component of South Africa’s national strategy to enhance water and sanitation services, which requires an annual investment of R90 billion. Spanning three years from FY2024, the initiative aims to substantially improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities by FY2027, marking a major step towards sustainable development in South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that reliable water supply in a semi-arid country is essential to economic growth. But a crippling electricity crisis has deepened water supply shortages.
In his state of the nation address last year, Ramaphosa said the Department of Water and Sanitation was pushing ahead with large-scale infrastructure projects, including the long-awaited Lesotho Highlands Phase Two project. which is crucial to ensuring water supply to Gauteng, South Africa’s economic heartland, as well as other provinces.
The government also launched a turnaround plan to streamline the process for water use licence applications.
