Blog tagged as 2026

South Africa's water crisis needs more than an Action Plan.

by Dr Ferrial Adam

Dr Ferrial Adam is the Executive Director of WaterCAN and a leading advocate for water justice and accountable governance in South Africa.

Does the National Water Action Plan confront the real causes of South Africa's water crisis, and does it create the conditions for implementatio...

24.08.2026 05:00:00

WATCH: Understanding the Science of Water from SANS 241 to Citizen Science

WaterCAN’s latest webinar with water quality specialist Leanne Coetzee unpacked what the updated SANS 241:2025 drinking water standard means for water safety in South Africa.

Leanne took participants through the shift towards a more proactive, risk based approach to water quality management — looking...

21.08.2026 10:28:24

Joburg's water crisis is a result of financial dysfunction, not bad luck

The People’s Water Forum supports Friday's community protests in Melville and their calls for full accountability from the City of Johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG – The People's Water Forum (PWF) stands in solidarity with residents of whose suburbs are supplied by the Commando System. They will protest on ...

13.08.2026 18:13:06

Register for our Webinar: Understanding the Science of Water from SANS 241 to Citizen Science

What does it actually mean when we are told that the water coming from our taps is safe to drink?

What should be tested, which risks matter most, and how can ordinary people play a meaningful role in monitoring the quality of the water they use?

WaterCAN will unpack these questions in its next webinar...

12.08.2026 21:50:52

WaterCAN urges Parliament to strengthen accountability in water law

WaterCAN has urged Parliament to use the National Water Amendment Bill to strengthen accountability, transparency and public participation, warning that new legislation will achieve little if South Africa’s longstanding failures of implementation and governance continue.

In its submission on the Nati...

12.08.2026 07:58:56

WaterCAN calls on South Africans to sign up for national Water Testing Week

WaterCAN is calling on residents, schools, community organisations and water activists across South Africa to register for its annual Citizen Science Water Testing Week, which will take place from 14 to 18 September 2026.

Participants selected for the campaign will receive free citizen science water ...

04.08.2026 16:58:24

WaterCAN calls for urgent investigation into fatal eThekwini water tanker incident

WaterCAN calls for an urgent, transparent and independent investigation into the fatal incident involving an eThekwini municipal water tanker in Ward 96, eMbumbulu.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family and community of the person who was tragically killed while seeking access to water — a ...

03.08.2026 20:27:59

WaterCAN: Ringfencing means nothing if Johannesburg Water cannot access the cash

WaterCAN says promises to ringfence water and sanitation revenue will remain meaningless unless Johannesburg Water has predictable and immediate access to the money it needs to pay suppliers, repair infrastructure and keep the city’s water system operating.

The organisation is deeply concerned by...

27.07.2026 21:02:41

Presidency’s new water structure and plan must deliver accountability, not another layer of bureaucracy

The Presidency’s National Water Action Plan comes at a time when communities across South Africa are living with prolonged outages, declining water quality, failing infrastructure and weak municipal accountability.

While the plan acknowledges the scale of the crisis, WaterCAN says its credibility wi...

25.07.2026 11:38:28

South Africa's water crisis cannot be solved by government alone, says WaterCAN

The prolonged water outages experienced across Johannesburg following last week's planned Rand Water maintenance should serve as a wake-up call that South Africa's water crisis can no longer be managed by government acting alone, WaterCAN said.

While the maintenance itself was necessary, the slow re...

23.07.2026 10:00:03