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SWPN SA - ROBUST STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION REQUIRED TO ADDRESS COUNTRY’S WATER CHALLENGES
During President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation (SONA) address on 6 February 2025, he focused extensively on the state of the country’s water resources and for good reason.
South Africa’s current and future water availability scenarios are extremely concerning.
The situation is being compared to the electricity crisis that has gripped the country for several years. There is a major difference though. Solutions are available for the electricity crisis and in essence our vast renewable energy sources provide sustainable supply into the future.
The converse applies though in terms of water and there is no luxury of an infinite supply. Whilst experts have predicted that population growth, erratic weather patterns, climate change and infrastructure challenges will result in a 17% deficit by 2030, the sector faces numerous current and urgent challenges.
According to Peter Varndell, CEO of NEPAD Business Foundation: “We must act immediately, as well as have solid plans in place to ensure future sustainability. The implications of water supply challenges are catastrophic in terms of socio-economic development and stability.”
“It requires an ‘all hands on deck’ approach if the country has any chance of securing a stable supply of quality water and all relevant stakeholders need to work together and commit to developing and implementing solutions,” adds Varndell.
The Strategic Water Partners Network (SWPN) was founded in 2011 in response to a request by the late Mrs. Edna Molewa, MP, then South Africa’s Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos. SWPN is a multi-stakeholder partnership working collaboratively to close the projected gap between water supply and demand in South Africa by 2030. Co-chaired by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and South African Breweries (SAB), SWPN continues to grow, with strong support from its founding partners - SAB, Anglo American, Coca-Cola, Eskom, Nestlé, and Sasol - alongside an expanding network of other members. The partnership is also internationally recognised as a model for collective action in water security.
The National Water Resources Strategy (2012) formally identifies the SWPN as the key platform to facilitate new forms of partnerships between DWS, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders. Hosted by the NEPAD Business Foundation, SWPN is a recognised industry leader in multistakeholder approaches to water resource management and provides a neutral platform for engagement on water issues. It convenes stakeholders, carries out participatory problem and opportunity analyses and develops, incubates and scales out projects to improve water security.
Collaborative efforts yield results in Polokwane
The City of Polokwane Local Municipality is one of the most densely populated and economically significant areas in Limpopo province. In 2019, water balances in the Limpopo Water Management catchment areas were either in balance or in deficit, meaning projected water requirements exceeded water availability. Water supply was augmented through bulk water transfer schemes such as the OlifantsSand and Ebenezer Dam systems at very high cost.
The SWPN, funded by SAB and Anglo American partnered with the City of Polokwane to protect and conserve the region’s scarce water resources through a Water Efficiency Leakage Reduction project.
A study, undertaken in two phases, sought to develop a Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WCWDM) strategy and business plan for the City of Polokwane. The study was designed to help reduce water losses, unbilled and unaccounted-for water. It included a detailed assessment of the Polokwane cluster (town) water supply area, which forms part of the Olifants-Sand regional water supply scheme.
The recommended priority changes from Phases 1 and 2 were implemented in the third phase, including visible leakage repairs, bulk meter replacements, and logger installations to improve baseline data accuracy. Additional measures included pressure management, meter monitoring and evaluation, and a study on funding, finance, legal, and regulatory recommendations.
The outcome of the project was an improvement of water management within the municipality, including a reduction in water losses and nonrevenue water.
The City of Polokwane’s Executive Mayor, Cllr Mosema Makoro John Mpe highlighted that the water partnership came at an opportune time and reiterated the City of Polokwane’s commitment to collaborate with the private sector.
“The City of Polokwane is the right partner for water conservation, water security and water demand management initiatives and we will continue to subscribe to the principles of governance, and avail resources needed to support such initiatives to ensure our communities enjoy a better life. Partnerships such as these are important as the government can leverage the expertise and experience of private sector and we can achieve more together,” said Mpe.
The role of private enterprise in dealing with local challenges
The prolonged below average rainfall in catchment areas and declining water levels at the dams supplying the towns of Gqeberha, Kariega and Despatch in the Eastern Cape, coupled with associated constraints on economic development, pushed the situation to breaking point.
Collaboration between the SWPN, SAB and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality resulted in the Nelson Mandela Bay Water Partnership that aimed to resolve related water challenges and establish longterm sustainable water solutions. The partnership effectively highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in dealing with challenges nationally and regionally.
Commenting on SAB’s financial commitment of R2.5 million for the project, SAB’s Africa Sustainability Manager, Alyssa Jooste says: “The formation of this partnership reflects our commitment to a multi-stakeholder approach in the water sector, with a shared vision of driving our collective responsibility and inclusivity for all in high stress watersheds.”
“SAB understands the complexity of water and focus our efforts on being a part of the local solutions that improve water security in our high-risk communities. We have demonstrated how partnerships and collaboration drive impact,” continues Jooste “and whilst a lot of responsibility lies with the government to provide clean water to citizens, we believe that corporates have a key role to play, particularly where a desperate need exists.”
The then Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Retief Odendaal described the partnership as a progressive step to ensure that the Municipality delivers on its objective to augment water supply and conserve water. He said: "This initiative is indicative of our commitment to mitigate the impact of this protracte drought on all our residents. It remains necessary for all stakeholders to continue to work together to save water."
The successes realised with these partnerships has served to highlight the importance of working together and, very importantly, demonstrated to municipalities what can be achieved. The result has been an increased uptake in discussions and agreements between the SWPN and various municipalities, including metros.
“Our experiences with municipalities have been extremely positive and it is heartening to see that there is a strong will in many municipalities to address the challenges on the ground and chart a way forward for that will benefit the citizenry and ultimately the country,” concludes Varndell.
Contact SWPN:
Address: Tuscany Office Park, Ground Floor, Building No 9, 6 Coombe Place, Rivonia, 2128
Phone: +27 82 829 9120
Email: michelle.proude@thenbf.co.za Website: www.swpn.org.za
facebook.com/SWPN.SA
www.linkedin.com/company/swpnsa/
@SA.SWPN
