SA must leverage wastewater treatment to address South Africa’s water and infrastructure crisis
In response to the Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana’s 2025 Budget Address, Interwaste, has welcomed the continued focus on addressing South Africa’s water and infrastructure crisis and the focus on policy and regulatory reforms in water and energy systems.
According to Justin Bott, CEO at Interwaste, while the Government’s renewed commitment to water infrastructure, particularly the establishment of the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency, is encouraging, what the recent Budget Address underscores is how critical the need is for greater investment in water and sanitation as a component of South Africa’s water security strategy really is.
“As stated in his address, Minister Godongwana acknowledged that ‘infrastructure is a key pillar of our growth strategy’ and with a figure of R156.3 billion allocated to water and sanitation over the next three years, we are certainly far more optimistic about the impact this can make – not only on service delivery – but more importantly for the investment in skills to drive these much needed initiatives.”
“We have long believed that wastewater presents a viable and tangible solution to our water needs. As such, greater attention must be given to funding for municipal wastewater treatment plants,” Bott adds. “Many municipalities struggle with outdated and failing wastewater treatment infrastructure, which can lead to contaminated water sources. Fortunately, progress is slowly being made, The finance Minister mentioned that six of the eight metropolitan municipalities have met the minimum requirements to participate in the Urban Development Financing Grant. Which ultimately means some strides towards infrastructure upgrades and improvements to deliver quality and reliable services which will have a massive impact on water supply and quality.”
“Of course, this must also be accompanied by stricter enforcement of water quality regulations to ensure municipalities and industries comply with to high wastewater treatment standards. However, the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency can play a pivotal role in driving this.”
Bott also highlights the importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in accelerating the water treatment projects. “We are encouraged that this was raised in the 2025 National Budget Address. Leveraging private sector expertise and innovation, not only eases the burden on government resources but, when structured correctly, can create tax incentives and funding mechanisms that encourage private companies to reinvest in water solutions.”
He further emphasizes that effective waste management solutions in this space can drive larger investment and foster collaboration with government, ultimately lowering the cost of ownership while ensuring continued investment in the skills necessary to sustain these initiatives.
“It is time we shift our thinking and approach to managing water. Waste water remains an untapped resource, and effective solutions in this space can unlock significant investment and government collaboration while reducing costs. More importantly by adopting a circular economy model approach – where waste is minimised at the onset and re-purposed, recycled or re-used – it can be effectively integrated into sustainable water solutions,” concludes Bott.
