South Africa's 2026 No Drop Progress Report, covered by BusinessTech on 19 October 2026, has put the cost of national water losses at about R26 billion a year, with 47% of municipal wastewater treatment works in a critical condition and 61% of all municipal wastewater systems in critical or poor infrastructural condition (BusinessTech).
Key takeaways
- South Africa loses 1.81 billion cubic metres of water a year, valued at about R26 billion, according to the 2026 No Drop Progress Report (BusinessTech).
- National physical pipe leaks waste roughly 1.44 billion cubic metres of clean water a year, more than half the Vaal Dam's full capacity (BusinessTech).
- 61% of all municipal wastewater systems are in critical or poor condition, with 47% of treatment works in a critical state and over 100 criminal charges laid against non-compliant municipalities (BusinessTech).
- The Free State has 98% of its wastewater treatment systems classified as poor or critical, the worst of any province (BusinessTech).
- Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Jack Bloom said legislation is being pushed through parliament to ring-fence water revenue so it is reinvested in pipe replacement and treatment works (BusinessTech).
What happened
The 2026 No Drop Progress Report, published by the Department of Water and Sanitation, found that 47.3% of treated drinking water in South Africa is lost or unbilled as Non-Revenue Water (NRW), driven by ageing municipal infrastructure, pipe leaks, metering errors and illegal connections (BusinessTech). National physical pipe leaks alone waste roughly 1.44 billion cubic metres of clean water every year, equivalent to more than half of the Vaal Dam's full capacity or the Western Cape's entire annual water consumption, while total national water losses amount to 1.81 billion cubic metres per year, worth about R26 billion (BusinessTech).
On the sanitation side, the Department reported that 47% of municipal wastewater treatment works are in a critical state, with over 100 criminal charges laid against non-compliant municipalities, and that 61% of all municipal wastewater systems are in critical or poor infrastructural condition (BusinessTech). Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Jack Bloom told Talk Radio 702 that "our waterways are terribly polluted with sewage spills, mostly from malfunctioning wastewater plants. 47% of them have been found to be in a critical condition," and that the pollution in the Vaal area is "absolutely appalling" (BusinessTech).
Provincial performance tracked in the report shows the Free State with 98% of its wastewater treatment systems classified as poor or critical, the Northern Cape with the highest physical leak rate at 44% and the worst overall drinking water risk profile, and KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga each losing 60% of municipal water to leaks, theft and billing errors (BusinessTech). The Western Cape leads on the lowest physical leak rate at 19.2%, the lowest NRW rate at 28.5%, the lowest per-capita consumption at 169 litres per capita per day, and a 100% submission rate for Corrective Action Plans, while Gauteng receives the largest volume of water at 1.59 billion cubic metres per year, records the highest daily per-capita use at 243 l/c/d, and loses 431 billion litres a year to leaks (BusinessTech).
Bloom said the Department of Water and Sanitation and Rand Water are setting up a special-purpose vehicle to address the Vaal problems, and called for ring-fenced water funding, public-private partnerships, decentralised sanitation, more water recycling and a "sanitation revolution" using the latest treatment technologies (BusinessTech).
| Province | Wastewater / NRW figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Free State | 98% of wastewater treatment systems poor or critical | 2026 No Drop Progress Report, reported by (BusinessTech) |
| Northern Cape | 44% physical pipe leak rate; worst drinking water risk profile | 2026 No Drop Progress Report, reported by (BusinessTech) |
| KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga | 60% of municipal water lost to leaks, theft and billing errors | 2026 No Drop Progress Report, reported by (BusinessTech) |
| Western Cape | 19.2% physical leak rate; 28.5% NRW; 169 l/c/d consumption | 2026 No Drop Progress Report, reported by (BusinessTech) |
| Gauteng | 1.59 billion m³/yr received; 243 l/c/d; 431 billion litres lost to leaks annually | 2026 No Drop Progress Report, reported by (BusinessTech) |
Specification read
The 2026 No Drop Progress Report does not quote a per-plant design capacity, influent BOD or COD, or a specific population equivalent for the failing works, so any retrofit or replacement spec has to be derived from the duty the source does describe (BusinessTech). The headline volume, 1.81 billion m³ a year of lost water, equates to roughly 4.96 million m³ per day if spread evenly across a year, and Gauteng alone is moving 1.59 billion m³/yr, about 4.36 million m³/day, through a network that loses 431 billion litres, or roughly 1.18 million m³/day, to leaks (BusinessTech). For a class of project that has to rehabilitate biological and tertiary trains on overloaded municipal works, the typical scope runs screening → grit removal → primary clarification → biological treatment (A2O, MBBR, SBR or MBR) → tertiary clarification or DAF → disinfection, with ZLD or reuse polishing only where the receiving water or the regulator forces it. Bloom's call for decentralised sanitation, water recycling and a "sanitation revolution" using the latest technologies lands directly on the biological and tertiary stages of that train, which is where most of the 47% of critical treatment works are failing (BusinessTech). If your plant is a South African municipal works in the Free State, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga or Gauteng class, serving tens of thousands to several million people with BOD in the typical 200 to 400 mg/L range and discharge limits set by the Department of Water and Sanitation, this is what it means for you: biological-stage capacity, sludge handling and disinfection are the sections most likely to be in scope under the ring-fenced funding and the new special-purpose vehicle. See our Municipal equipment hub and our Water Purification product line for the unit operations buyers typically specify, and our Trusted Wastewater Plant Equipment Suppliers for Utilities: 2026 Buyer's Guide for shortlisting suppliers.
FAQ
What is the headline number from the 2026 No Drop Progress Report?
The report, covered by BusinessTech on 19 October 2026, values South Africa's annual water losses at about R26 billion, on a total lost volume of 1.81 billion cubic metres a year, of which 1.44 billion m³ is from physical pipe leaks alone (BusinessTech).
How bad is the condition of South Africa's wastewater treatment works?
The Department of Water and Sanitation reported that 47% of municipal wastewater treatment works are in a critical state and 61% of all municipal wastewater systems are in critical or poor infrastructural condition, with over 100 criminal charges laid against non-compliant municipalities (BusinessTech).
What funding or delivery mechanism is being proposed for the fix?
Deputy Minister Jack Bloom said legislative changes are in parliament to ring-fence water revenue so it is reinvested in pipe replacement, and that the Department of Water and Sanitation and Rand Water are setting up a special-purpose vehicle for the Vaal, alongside public-private partnerships (BusinessTech).
Which provinces should a supplier watch first?
The report ranks the Free State worst on wastewater (98% of systems poor or critical), the Northern Cape worst on physical leaks (44%) and overall drinking water risk, and KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga as joint worst on Non-Revenue Water at 60% (BusinessTech).
