The University of Pretoria’s (UP) Future Africa Institute recently hosted Water Game Changers Day, which featured a panel discussion that brought together a dynamic mix of experts and community leaders and saw the launch of the Water Game Changers Award. This event was a follow-up to a November 2024 panel that addressed the impacts of El Niño and climate change on food security.

The lively discussions were the result of a collaboration between the embassies of Denmark, Mexico and Switzerland; UP’s Centre for Human Rights, Centre for Environmental Justice, and the Landscape Architecture Programme of the Department of Architecture; along with the UN Human Rights Office for Southern Africa. The event aimed to spark a multidisciplinary conversation, share nature-based water solutions that are grounded in human rights and sustainable development, and present positive eco-technologies that have changed the lives of many people in Denmark, Mexico and South Africa.

Under the topic ‘The right to water and sanitation, the right to nature, and gender equality’, an expert panel emphasised that South Africa’s water crisis was more than an infrastructure failure, but a human rights emergency. Panellists called for a shift in thinking, from reactive engineering to nature-based, community-driven solutions that honour both people and ecosystems.

“Water scarcity isn’t just a technical problem – it’s a human rights issue with profound implications for our communities,” said panellist Associate Professor Anja du Plessis of the Department of Geography in the School of Ecological and Human Sustainability at the University of South Africa. “By focusing on a nature-based framework, we can find solutions that are not only effective, but also sustainable and equitable.”

Prof Du Plessis issued a stark warning that the crisis was no longer looming but was already here. 

“In just one year, household access to improved water sources declined from 80.4% in 2023 to 77.1% in 2024,” she said. “Many face outages lasting days, with some areas of Johannesburg going weeks without water.” 

A significant contributor to the problem is non-revenue water; this constitutes water that is lost to leaks, illegal connections and poor revenue collection. It’s estimated that 40 to 50% or more of water is lost before it even reaches consumers, a staggering inefficiency given the country’s water scarcity. According to Prof Du Plessis, the consequences of the water crisis are not merely theoretical; they are deadly and have far-reaching economic effects. For example, a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal in 2023, linked to contaminated water, resulted in at least 20 deaths. Economically, the crisis undermined productivity, slowed industry and weakened job security.

The panel discussion also spotlighted women and girls – who spend hours a day fetching water for their households – as the unsung champions of water collection in South Africa. This invisible labour not only reinforces gender inequality, but also robs them of time for education, work and leadership opportunities. According to the World Health Organisation, women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa collectively spend about 40 billion hours each year collecting water. In rural parts of South Africa, some girls miss school entirely during dry seasons due to the daily demands of water collection. Panellists, including Ayanda Mvimbi of UN Women and Dr Lydia Chibwe of the Centre for Human Rights, pointed out that the right to water and sanitation is about more than infrastructure; it is about dismantling systemic barriers that keep women and girls from thriving.

It was argued that various factors such as the empowerment of women, a circular economy, an ubuntu care economy, systemic thinking based on the cycle of water, indigenous knowledge and community participation could create a ripple effect of change, transforming not just access to water, but community resilience, health and economic development.

Importantly, the Water Game Changers Award was launched at the event. It calls for innovative water eco-technology solutions focused on saving, protecting, recycling and returning water to natural systems, particularly in underserved communities in South Africa. Projects must incorporate sustainability, gender, indigenous knowledge and the human right to water. Submissions can be designs or implemented projects, and will be judged on their innovative qualities, impact and community inclusion. The winner will receive $500 (about R8 800), expert feedback and potential project development support. Registration opened on 28 July, with expert guidance sessions to be held in September and October.

Attendees also looked more closely at developing solutions that meet human needs with minimal or no environmental impact; spotlighted local success stories; and learnt about nature-based technologies like wetland restoration and rainwater harvesting. Additionally, the event included an intergenerational dialogue; a presentation on research project CONSUS along the Sand River in Mabopane, which focuses on ecological rehabilitation initiatives; projects in the Melusi informal settlement and Limpopo region; as well as valuable lessons from Mexico such as a hybrid training session by the Mexican Institute of Water Technologies. 

Water harvesting; settlement upgrading; the development of action plans; and the engagement, co-development and co-creation of nature-based solutions with communities were the key takeaways.