PRETORIA - The University of Pretoria (UP) and Africa’s largest bulk water utility, Rand Water, have signed a landmark collaboration agreement to establish the Rand Water Research, Development and Innovation Hub at UP (RWRDIH@UP).

The hub aims to become a leading centre for water management, generating practical and sustainable solutions to enhance water and sanitation across South Africa and the continent.

Structured as a long-term engagement, the collaboration begins with a five-year plan, renewable for an additional five years, and aligns closely with national and regional imperatives for sustainable water management, including climate adaptation, water security and integrated resource planning.

This partnership is particularly timely. According to the World Health Organization, about 2.2 billion people globally lack access to safely managed drinking water. Despite progress in water, sanitation and hygiene services, climate change, environmental degradation and conflict continue to exacerbate this crisis.

The hub will convene experts across disciplines to advance research, teaching and innovation in water management. It will also facilitate training, data analysis, leadership development and network building. An advisory committee – comprising four members from Rand Water and two Deans from UP’s Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences – has been established to guide the hub’s governance and ensure alignment with the strategic objectives of both institutions.

In its first year, the hub will initiate 10 projects, including the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Research Programme and the Optimising the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in the Letaba River Basin project. These initiatives aim to generate actionable research outcomes that strengthen water system resilience, promote cross-sectoral sustainability and contribute directly to socio-economic development across Africa. By bridging applied science and operational practice, the RWRDIH@UP will play a central role in addressing both immediate and long-term water challenges on the continent.

UP’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Francis Petersen, described the collaboration as a milestone in the University’s mission to advance impactful, transdisciplinary research. 

“It is a great privilege to be taking this step in consolidating what will be a long-term relationship, focused on our shared vision to make a positive contribution to the water management sector and society at large,” he said.

Prof Petersen asserted UP’s position as a research-intensive, socially responsive institution. 

“The University of Pretoria has a vision to be a leading research-intensive university in Africa, recognised internationally for its quality, relevance and impact. We are deliberately positioned as an engaged university, a central player in the advancement of our country and society at large.”

He further highlighted the essential role of collaboration in addressing global and local challenges. 

“We have recognised that partnerships are indeed at the heart of a reimagined higher education sector, where universities, anchored in societies full of disruptions and complexities, play a vital role in addressing these and other issues. Problems are often too sizeable to be dealt with individually, but when tackled collectively through partnerships that pool expertise and resources and foster learning, tangible results become achievable.”

Rand Water, which supplies water to the provinces of Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the Free State and the North West, regards this partnership as a strategic enabler in advancing its aspiration to become a continental leader in integrated water resource management. 

Group Chief Executive Sipho Mosai commended the establishment of the hub as a defining step in the organisation’s 123-year legacy of service excellence. 

“The board decided to build a legacy by contributing to the water and sanitation sector and society at large through the establishment of an institution that addresses real-world problems and increases the knowledge and intellectual capital within South Africa and ultimately the African continent,” he said.

He affirmed Rand Water’s long-term commitment to the partnership.

“We remain dedicated to this institution and its vision. In the University of Pretoria, Rand Water has found a partner with an equally impressive heritage and a passion for excellence who is highly ranked in Africa.”

Both Rand Water and UP anticipate that the RWRDIH@UP will deliver far-reaching benefits beyond academic research. The hub will not only advance intellectual capital but also generate reputational, technological and societal value, reinforcing both institutions’ leadership in African innovation, sustainable development and global water governance.

The RWRDIH@UP exemplifies the type of transdisciplinary collaboration necessary to achieve water security and a sustainable future for Africa. Engagement with RWRDIH@UP in advancing research, innovation and knowledge in integrated water resource management is encouraged. Such collaborative efforts are expected to foster evidence-based solutions that address Africa’s pressing water and sanitation challenges.