President Cyril Ramaphosa’s National Water Action Plan (NWAP) has sparked a political clash between coalition partners, with the DA dismissing the blueprint as “recycled, unfunded, and ineffective”, while the ANC defended it as a “vital strategy” to stabilise municipal services and accelerate infrastructure reform.

On Thursday Ramaphosa published the NWAP, outlining strategic interventions to reverse the significant deterioration in water supply and quality over the short, medium and long term.

DA spokesperson on Water and Sanitation Stephen Moore stated that the plan repackages existing measures such as the Water Services Amendment Bill and the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency.

“But the existing plans and programmes are not working, Mr President,” he said.

Moore pointed out that in February, Ramaphosa promised Parliament an urgent new plan to end dry taps.

“Public-private partnerships are already possible under existing legislation. That this is not new. Numerous ANC-run municipalities have already been placed under Section 139 administration and remain broken. That is not new,” Moore stated.

He noted that the NWAP targets a 39% water loss rate for clean drinking water, which is higher than government's previous 25% benchmark.

The DA criticised the NWAP for lacking a dedicated new budget and for failing to place skilled technicians in troubled municipalities.

Meanwhile, the ANC believes the plan will fix immediate municipal water challenges, increase infrastructure investment, and tackle sector corruption.

The party emphasised that capacitated municipalities remain central to managing water resources responsibly and ending supply disruptions.

“Its proximity to communities places municipalities at the centre of implementing the plan. Properly capacitated and supported municipalities must manage water resources responsibly, prevent the diversion of water revenue, stabilise distressed water-supply systems and accelerate practical, sustainable and fit-for-purpose solutions for communities that continue to lack safe and reliable drinking water,” the ANC said.

The party said the NWAP aligns with government's broader R1-trillion infrastructure investment programme spanning the transport, energy, and water sectors.