Ekurhuleni – President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for decisive action to address failing municipalities and South Africa’s deepening water crisis, urging all spheres of government to work together with urgency and accountability.
Speaking at the opening of an extended President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) meeting held at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni on Thursday, Ramaphosa described the gathering as “historic,” marking the first time mayors and municipal managers from across the country joined national and provincial leaders in a single forum.
The President said the meeting was aimed at strengthening cooperation between national, provincial, and local government to tackle persistent service delivery challenges.
“Our system of government is based on cooperative governance,” Ramaphosa said. “The PCC ensures that we govern as one coordinated state, not three disconnected spheres.”
Ramaphosa acknowledged widespread dysfunction in municipalities, citing weak financial management, poor revenue collection, skills shortages, and governance instability as key drivers of deteriorating service delivery.
These systemic issues, he said, have resulted in frequent water and electricity disruptions, crumbling infrastructure, and declining public trust.
“It is ordinary South Africans who bear the costs of this,” he said, adding that the focus of the meeting must shift from diagnosing problems to implementing solutions.
Among the proposed interventions is the finalisation of a new White Paper on Local Government, which aims to overhaul the structure and functioning of municipalities.
The President also stressed the need to cut bureaucratic red tape, professionalise the public service, and ensure that appointments are made on merit.
A significant portion of the meeting is dedicated to addressing the country’s worsening water and sanitation crisis, which Ramaphosa described as one of the most pressing challenges facing municipalities.
“There is no doubt that over the three decades of democracy we have made great progress in extending access to water The percentage of households that experienced water interruptions lasting more than two days at a time increased from 24 percent in 2012 to 34 percent in 2024,” Ramaphosa said.
The President pointed to ageing infrastructure, illegal connections, poor maintenance, and institutional instability as major contributors to the crisis.
“Municipal debt to water boards has tripled between 2018 and 2025. This crisis did not emerge overnight and it will not be resolved by any single intervention. We need a range of actions addressing critical areas of failure,” he said
To address these challenges, Ramaphosa highlighted ongoing reforms under Operation Vulindlela, including improvements in water licensing and the reinstatement of key monitoring reports.
He also referenced new legislation such as the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency Act and programmes aimed at improving municipal service delivery and financial sustainability.
The President once again spoke about the work of the National Water Crisis Committee. “As we did to great effect in overcoming load shedding, the Water Crisis Committee will oversee the implementation of a National Water Action Plan,” he added
He outlined five guiding principles for tackling the crisis: restoring accountability, protecting financial integrity, strengthening technical capacity, enforcing consequence management, and improving practical cooperation across government.
He emphasised that revenue from water services must be ring-fenced for maintenance and upgrades, warning that failure to do so would worsen infrastructure decay.
“There must be no space for corruption, criminality or sabotage. We need to be aligned around a shared purpose and disciplined execution,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa concluded by urging leaders at all levels of government to demonstrate the political will needed to resolve the crisis.
“The country is looking to us to secure an uninterrupted supply of water to all citizens, businesses and institutions,” he said. “We have the means to do this. Let us demonstrate that we have the will.”