The National Water Action Plan (NWAP) sets out a focused, programmatic series of actions to ensure a reliable supply of quality water to all South Africans, aiming to address the root causes of the water supply challenges in many municipalities.

The Plan outlines strategic interventions to address the water crisis over the short, medium and long term. 

The NWAP outlines a strategy to increase investment in infrastructure, including through private sector investment; to implement legal and regulatory reforms to improve municipal service delivery; and to address corruption and criminality in the water sector.

The NWAP was developed by WATERCOM, which was established following the 2026 State of the Nation Address in response to increasingly severe water supply interruptions in several parts of the country. 

WATERCOM is chaired by the President and includes a range of government departments and public agencies responsible for implementing the Plan as well as the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). 

The Plan was informed by extensive consultation with stakeholders across all three spheres of government – national, provincial and local – and associations such as SALGA. 

WATERCOM is working with municipalities to mobilise resources, expertise, and new partnerships to stabilise failing systems, recover critical services and expand access across the country. It will ensure a coordinated approach to the institutional and financing reforms necessary to achieve water security, including ring-fencing water revenues to ensure adequate maintenance of water assets and increasing investment in bulk water and distribution infrastructure. 

Report by the Presidency