A new UK-South African partnership has been established to strengthen municipal water security and reduce water losses across South Africa.

The strategic partnership between the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) Business Foundation (NBF) and the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will enable the implementation of the UK-South Africa Municipal Water Partnership.

The initiative aims to improve water security, reduce water losses and strengthen the operational performance of municipalities across South Africa.

This is amid mounting water challenges driven by aging infrastructure, operational inefficiencies and financial constraints that limit the ability of many municipalities to provide reliable water services.

The NBF initiative, in partnership with the UK government, targets systemic issues through focused water demand management and conservation interventions in South Africa’s key municipalities, including Johannesburg, Polokwane and Nelson Mandela Bay.

The programme will support municipalities in improving leak detection, upgrading infrastructure, enhancing metering accuracy and adopting digital tools that strengthen planning and decision-making.

Municipalities have long battled many challenges in delivering a reliable, high- quality water supply.

The Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS’s) Blue, Green and No Drop reports show that 52% of water systems in the country fail or barely pass quality tests, while 64% of wastewater treatment plants are high risk, and nearly half of municipal water is lost or unbilled, with nonrevenue water standing at 47%.

In December, the Auditor-General South Africa’s inaugural 2023/24 Water Sector Report revealed unsafe drinking water systems in 46% of municipalities and chemical safety failures in 44%; near-total failure of wastewater treatment plants, with 99% failing at least one quality standard; water losses amounting to R14.89-billion in the 2023/24 financial year; delayed infrastructure projects, averaging 32 months; and widespread maintenance neglect, besides other challenges.

“This partnership marks an important milestone in our mission to strengthen municipal water resilience and ensure that communities across South Africa have access to reliable, sustainable water services,” says Nepad Business Foundation CEO Peter Varndell.

“Public-private collaboration is essential to solving South Africa’s water crisis. The partnership between the NBF and the UK-FCDO demonstrates the kind of coordinated practical action our water sector urgently needs,” adds Strategic Water Partners Network (SWPN) private-sector co-chairperson Alyssa Jooste.

The SWPN, hosted by the NBF, developed the No Drop programme in conjunction with the DWS and piloted the first nonrevenue water municipal partnership in Polokwane. On the back of that success, the model was replicated in Nelson Mandela Bay and it has been shown that it can be applied in other municipalities.

“By combining technical expertise, international support and strong local partnerships, this initiative brings real momentum to the national effort to reduce water losses and strengthen municipalities.”

A central feature of the partnership is the establishment of a nonrevenue water fund, a revolving mechanism that reinvests savings from water-loss reductions into future improvements, which will create a sustainable, long-term model for water resilience and service reliability.

Estimates indicate that nonrevenue water levels exceed 40%, resulting in major water losses, revenue erosion and growing service backlogs.

“By tackling nonrevenue water, we are addressing both a critical environmental challenge and an economic one – turning water savings into financial sustainability and job opportunities. We are grateful for the UK  government’s partnership and confidence in our work,” says Varndell.

“The UK is proud to partner with the Nepad Business Foundation in driving innovative and sustainable solutions to South Africa’s water challenges. This initiative supports our shared vision of inclusive development and climate resilience in cities,” adds British High Commissioner to South Africa Antony Phillipson.

“Through the UK-South Africa Municipal Water Partnership, we aim to empower municipalities to manage water more efficiently and strengthen communities through job creation and improved services.”

The collaboration aligns with South Africa’s national water priorities and strengthens the relationship between government, business, development partners and civil society through the SWPN.

It also contributes directly to UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and supports broader climate-resilience objectives.

The project is funded by the UK government’s Urban Resilience Programme, an Official Development Assistance scheme led by the British High Commission in Pretoria to fund technical assistance of up to £8-million over four years from 2023 to 2027 for inclusive, sustainable and climate-resilient economic development in South African cities.