Challenges laid bare by the Blue and Green Drop Reports paint a worrying picture of underperforming treatment plants, but it’s encouraging to see how many solutions are already viable — and how, as a collective, we can test and scale alternatives that communities can adopt now, not in 10 years.
So many of the solutions we need are already being pioneered, tested or implemented — here in South Africa. These aren’t future concepts; they’re functional models delivering real impact. Water security won’t come from cement alone — it will come from changing how we design, consume and govern our systems.
These aren’t fixes from far away. They’re solutions made for South Africa by South Africans.
What strikes me most is how this work cuts across boundaries. This is about science, yes, but also about governance, behavioural change, policy reform and community-led innovation. It reminds me that we can’t build our way out of the crisis with infrastructure only. We need a mindset shift. A systems approach. We need to respect indigenous knowledge, make room for new voices and design with, not just for, communities.
None of this means abandoning the role of government. Quite the opposite. We need strong public institutions, clear regulations and consistent leadership, but the job of water security cannot rest only on their shoulders. It belongs to all of us: researchers, entrepreneurs, engineers, educators and everyday citizens.
Each of us has a role to play in co-creating the future we want — and if we’re serious about securing South Africa’s water future, then we must act together.
• Lesego Gaegane is a board member of the SAEEC and senior project manager at the Water Research Commission.
For opinion and analysis consideration, email Opinions@timeslive.co.za
LESEGO GAEGANE | A watershed moment: SA’s water future can’t wait
The job of water security belongs to all of us: researchers, entrepreneurs, engineers, educators and everyday citizens
South Africa’s water crisis runs deeper than data. Behind every statistic is a school waiting for dignified sanitation, a municipality on the brink of collapse or a community forced to stretch a single tap.
As we mark World Environment Day on Thursday, these daily struggles remind us that environmental sustainability should begin with how we manage our most essential resource: water.
The theme of this year’s World Environment Day — “Our Land. Our Future” — highlights the urgency of protecting our ecosystems, which are under pressure from failing infrastructure and climate change.
Water efficiency is not just a technical or environmental issue; it is also a social, economic and deeply political issue. We must place people and partnerships at the heart of all interventions, which include empowering communities, recognising indigenous knowledge, promoting inclusive governance and prioritising system-wide thinking.
The water–energy–food nexus offers a critical lens for action. These three systems are inextricably linked: agriculture consumes more than 50% of South Africa’s water, energy powers every stage of the water cycle, while water is indispensable for energy generation, enabling food production and sustaining agricultural productivity.
Efficiency in one sector directly influences outcomes in the others. If we adopt a nexus approach, one that connects energy-smart irrigation, decentralised sanitation and water-sensitive food systems, we can improve livelihoods, reduce waste and build climate resilience from the ground up.
We need to fundamentally make the shift from dialogue and rhetoric to taking joint action. Water utility professionals, academics, engineers, policymakers and civil society must come together to wrestle with the complexity of water management in a country where ecosystems, energy systems and people’s basic dignity are tightly bound.
It’s no longer enough to work in silos. The water-food-energy nexus isn’t jargon. It’s real and it’s urgent. If we align these systems, we unlock powerful, practical outcomes: better sanitation, improved food security and smarter energy use.
That’s why the recent Southern African Energy Efficiency Confederation’s (SAEEC’s) first water efficiency technical conference, held on May 20, felt like more than just another industry gathering. It felt like a shift, a catalyst whereby solutions such as decentralised treatment options and low-energy wastewater technologies including using lighting in water purification, weren’t just ideas, they were starting points.
Challenges laid bare by the Blue and Green Drop Reports paint a worrying picture of underperforming treatment plants, but it’s encouraging to see how many solutions are already viable — and how, as a collective, we can test and scale alternatives that communities can adopt now, not in 10 years.
So many of the solutions we need are already being pioneered, tested or implemented — here in South Africa. These aren’t future concepts; they’re functional models delivering real impact. Water security won’t come from cement alone — it will come from changing how we design, consume and govern our systems.
These aren’t fixes from far away. They’re solutions made for South Africa by South Africans.
What strikes me most is how this work cuts across boundaries. This is about science, yes, but also about governance, behavioural change, policy reform and community-led innovation. It reminds me that we can’t build our way out of the crisis with infrastructure only. We need a mindset shift. A systems approach. We need to respect indigenous knowledge, make room for new voices and design with, not just for, communities.
None of this means abandoning the role of government. Quite the opposite. We need strong public institutions, clear regulations and consistent leadership, but the job of water security cannot rest only on their shoulders. It belongs to all of us: researchers, entrepreneurs, engineers, educators and everyday citizens.
Each of us has a role to play in co-creating the future we want — and if we’re serious about securing South Africa’s water future, then we must act together.
• Lesego Gaegane is a board member of the SAEEC and senior project manager at the Water Research Commission.
For opinion and analysis consideration, email Opinions@timeslive.co.za
READ MORE: