South Africa will not run out of water by 2030, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo has assured, even as communities across the country continue to grapple with shortages, unreliable supply and ageing infrastructure.
Mahlobo was speaking yesterday at the International Conference on Water Challenges and Solutions (ICWCS 2026), hosted by the University of Zululand, Chang’an University and the Research Centre for Water Science and Technology, where researchers, water experts and policymakers gathered to find solutions to growing water pressures.
His assurance comes as South Africa continues to face persistent water challenges, with Gauteng experiencing disruptions in recent months following failures at Rand Water pump stations and a major pipeline burst.
KwaZulu-Natal is also facing persistent shortages, with some communities still relying on emergency water tankers while longer-term bulk infrastructure projects are developed. Mahlobo sought to distinguish between these localised shortages and the prospect of the country physically running out of water.
“We’re not going to run out of water,” he said.
