WATER & SANITATION SERVICES: INPUT SOUGHT ON PROPOSED NEW STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

WATER & SANITATION SERVICES: INPUT SOUGHT ON PROPOSED NEW STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

• 11 September 2026
• Water & Sanitation
• SA Legal Academy

The Department of Water & Sanitation has gazetted and called for public comments on a draft strategic framework for service provision. There appears to be no deadline for input.

Building on the prevailing 2003 strategy, the proposed new iteration:

• seeks to respond to the ‘new and evolving challenges’ of:
  • ‘rapid urbanisation’
  • ‘ageing infrastructure’
  • ‘climate-related risks’, and
  • ‘persistent service delivery gaps, especially in rural areas and informal settlements’, and
• takes account of ‘significant reforms’, including:
  • the ongoing Local Government White Paper review
  • upcoming amendments to:
    • the Water Services Act, and
    • the National Water Act, and
  • ‘the development of new policy instruments aimed at improving governance, accountability, and service delivery’.

This is according to the document’s introductory section, which outlines the framework’s overarching objectives. These include:

• broadening prevailing social equity commitments ‘to prioritise formal and informal settlements, peri-urban populations, and service provision on privately owned land where historical inequalities persist’
• balancing ‘affordability for indigent households’ with ‘the financial sustainability of service providers’
• the adoption of international standards ‘to ensure safe, health-promoting, and environmentally sound sanitation infrastructure, especially in areas lacking centralised sewerage networks’
• ‘enshrin(ing) climate risk assessments, scenario-based planning, and climate adaptation strategies into core service delivery, planning and financing processes’, and
• ‘introduc(ing) digital tools as transformative enablers for the sector … such as smart metering, integrated data systems, … asset management platforms, and digital compliance monitoring’.

Please click the link below for more information:

• draft strategic framework
• 2003 framework

Published by SA Legal Academy Policy Watch

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