The findings of the Green Drop 2025 report, released alongside the latest Blue Drop and No Drop progress assessments, highlight mounting strain across the country’s water sector. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy
South Africa’s sewage treatment systems are failing faster than they are being fixed, with new government assessments showing that nearly half of municipal wastewater works are in a critical state.
The findings of the Green Drop 2025 report, released alongside the latest Blue Drop and No Drop progress assessments, highlight mounting strain across the country’s water sector — from failing wastewater plants and polluted rivers to unsafe drinking water and massive losses of treated water through leaks and poor infrastructure.
According to the latest Green Drop report, 396 (47%) of the 848 municipal wastewater systems assessed are in a critical condition, up from 39% in 2022.
The number of systems performing at excellent or good levels has dropped sharply, from 118 systems (14%) in 2022 to just 66 systems (8%) in 2025. Only 14 systems achieved Green Drop certification this year, down from 22 in 2022.
“These results confirm what communities have been saying for years. The crisis is not new — what is new is the continued failure to act. Reports are being released but where is the accountability?” said WaterCAN executive director Ferrial Adam.
The report highlights widespread failures, including large volumes of wastewater failing to reach treatment works. This has led to sewage spills, environmental contamination and direct public health risks.
“We are moving backwards and that should alarm every South African,” said Adam. “Fewer high-performing systems and more in critical condition is not a trend — it is a collapse. We cannot celebrate mediocrity while our rivers are being turned into sewage channels.”
Provincial disparities are stark. The Northern Cape recorded the highest proportion of critical wastewater systems, at 87%, followed by the Free State at 85%. Even traditionally stronger provinces like Gauteng and the Western Cape are showing signs of deterioration.
The Blue Drop progress assessment, which evaluates drinking water quality, paints a less dramatic but concerning picture.
Nationally, 61.9% of drinking water systems were classified as low risk, a slight improvement from 60.2% previously. But nearly 38% of systems fall outside the low-risk category, including 185 high- or critical-risk systems, of which 79 are in outright crisis, exposing communities to unsafe or unreliable drinking water.
“This is not stability — it is managed decline,” Adam said. “We are tolerating a system where more than a third of water supply systems pose a real risk and nearly 200 require urgent intervention.”
The No Drop Progress Report, tracking water use efficiency and losses, found that non-revenue water remains around 47%, meaning nearly half of treated water is lost due to leaks, ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance and weak management before it reaches consumers.
Across all three reports, recurring problems include ageing infrastructure, chronic under-maintenance, skills shortages and weak municipal accountability, pointing to systemic failure in water governance.
“There has been more than enough evidence, more than enough warnings and more than enough time. The real failure here is not technical — it is political,” Adam said.
Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina acknowledged the seriousness of the findings, describing the Green Drop results as “deeply concerning”.
She said the increase in critically failing wastewater systems and the decline in high-performing plants underscored the urgent need for intervention at the municipal level.
Although the Blue Drop findings suggested marginal improvements in drinking water quality, high- and critical-risk systems required urgent corrective action and stronger regulatory oversight, the minister said.
WaterCAN has called for immediate turnaround plans, stricter enforcement, sustained investment in operations and maintenance and expanded professional capacity within municipalities.
“Until there are real consequences for failure, we will continue to see the same pattern: reports, regression and no action,” Adam added.