President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for radical reforms to South Africa’s struggling municipalities, warning that continued governance failures are severely affecting water provision and undermining service delivery and economic growth.
Delivering the opening address at an extended President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) meeting at the Birchwood Hotel on Thursday, Ramaphosa described the gathering as a “historic get-together” that brings together all three spheres of government to confront systemic challenges.
The meeting follows the announcement made in the 2026 State of the Nation Address, where President Ramaphosa established the National Water Crisis Committee (NWCC) to drive a coordinated response to the country’s ongoing water challenges. The committee has been tasked with accelerating interventions similar to the government’s energy crisis response framework.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that many municipalities are grappling with weak financial management, limited technical capacity, and poor revenue collection, all of which are resulting in deteriorating services.
“Many municipalities do not have the revenue base to provide the infrastructure and services that people need. Many do not have a deep skills base from which they can draw,” he said.
“The current system is too complex and fragmented, with even small and under-resourced municipalities expected to take on too many responsibilities.”
This has led to weak financial management, poor institutional capability, inadequate revenue collection, and insufficient accountability in many municipalities.
Ramaphosa stressed that the impact is being felt most sharply by ordinary citizens.
“Water and electricity disruptions are common. Roads and other infrastructure are not maintained. It is ordinary South Africans who bear the cost of this,” he said.
The President said the government is finalising a new White Paper on Local Government aimed at addressing these structural weaknesses and “reimagining the way local government works.”
He also emphasised the need to cut bureaucracy and improve professionalism in local administration. “Bureaucratic delays are driving investment away,” Ramaphosa said. “Appointments must be made on merit… We must build up the skills and capabilities of everyone who works in local government.”
Ramaphosa described the worsening water and sanitation crisis as one of the most pressing and urgent challenges facing municipalities.
While access to water has improved since 1994, reliability has declined significantly. “Many communities experience problems with the reliability and quality of these services,” he said, noting that prolonged water interruptions have increased markedly in recent years.
“Our eight metropolitan municipalities are collectively losing an average of 34 percent of all water purchased before it can be billed. Some metros are approaching 50%.”
He also pointed to rising municipal debt to water boards and ageing infrastructure as key contributors to the crisis.
The Water Crisis Committee will oversee the implementation of a National Water Action Plan, which forms part of broader reforms under Operation Vulindlela aimed at improving infrastructure, streamlining regulations, and boosting investment.
Ramaphosa outlined five key principles to guide the government’s response: restoring accountability, protecting financial integrity, strengthening technical capacity, enforcing consequence management, and improving cooperative governance.
He urged delegates to move beyond diagnosing problems and commit to concrete solutions with clear timelines.
“We should leave here today with firm commitments, responsibilities and timelines,” he said. “The country is looking to us to secure an uninterrupted supply of water to all citizens.
“We have the means to do this. Let us demonstrate that we have the will.”