R400 billion needed to fix water infrastructure in SA: Majodina

Department of Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, Department of Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, and Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero are pictured during a media briefing on water issues in during an oversight visit in Emmarentia in Johannesburg on 11 February 2026.

Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina says R400 billion is needed to fix water infrastructure in municipalities across the country.

This comes as water shortages in parts of Gauteng persist.

On the eve of the State of the Nation Address (SONA), some South Africans say they believe their basic human right to water is being violated.

Some argue that aging infrastructure cannot be the only reason for the prolonged outages.

Majodina was speaking during a media briefing in Emmarentia in Johannesburg.

“In terms of budget allocation, we cannot now hear myself and DM (David) Mahlobo commit to whether there will be an extra budget that is allocated to the Gauteng province to be able to assist the municipalities. The budget vote is on the 25^th. What we are going to do as a delegation sent by the president here, we are going to compile our report, but we must not thumb suck about the challenges and amount that is needed. In terms of water infrastructure at the local government sphere, we need nothing less than R400 billion to fix the water infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo says a technical team has recommended so called “soft water restrictions“ be implemented in some Gauteng areas to prevent the system from crashing. This will affect areas that are already receiving water.

The restrictions will not be limited to Johannesburg but also include Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.

“In terms of the immediate issue of restoring the situation in the areas where there is no water and not to allow the system to crash, we have agreed that with the technical team to support their recommendation that there is going to be a soft water restriction. The soft water restriction will only apply in the areas where the system is already providing water. We are going to communicate is not going to only affect Johannesburg, it will affect Tshwane, it will affect Ekurhuleni.”

Johannesburg water challenges | Politicians answer questions from media:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn_aPZ5jHpE