Ramaphosa launches water programme to accelerate access in Hammanskraal
President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is accelerating efforts to address South Africa’s water challenges, as he launched the National Water Access Acceleration Programme at the Klipdrift Water Treatment Plant in Hammanskraal in the north of Tshwane.
The launch, held as part of Mandela Day 2026 commemorations, aims to rapidly expand access to safe and reliable water services for communities facing long-standing supply challenges.
The Klipdrift project is expected to deliver 50 million litres of water per day, a development President Ramaphosa described as a major achievement in government’s response to residents’ needs.
"This is the first time I hear of a package plan that delivers 50 million litres a day. This is phenomenal. This is a great, great, great achievement for our government. This is how we respond to our people's needs."
The President said water had been elevated as a national priority, with government establishing a water committee bringing together key stakeholders, including labour, business, communities and different spheres of government.
He said the success of the Hammanskraal project demonstrated the importance of collaboration between national, provincial and local government.
Ramaphosa, however, stressed that the project’s completion must be followed by urgent work to ensure the water reaches households.
"I want a clear time frame of when this is going to happen. This must happen within a short space of time. We don't want the people of Hammanskraal to be waiting for years and years before the water flows into the taps, into their homes."
Residents of Hammanskraal have endured years of water quality and supply challenges, with the area becoming a symbol of the country’s broader water infrastructure crisis.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi also attended the launch and said while the province welcomed the intervention, more work was needed to address service delivery challenges across municipalities.
Lesufi said while most municipalities were cooperating with provincial government, Merafong and Emfuleni remained areas requiring immediate assistance.
"Where we are, we've done something, indeed more can be done, but at least we need to accelerate the services that we need to render to our communities and two of those services is mainly water and electricity."
He also defended the City of Johannesburg amid concerns over its financial position, saying the municipality remained capable of recovering despite current financial challenges.
"Johannesburg is big. Johannesburg can't fail. Johannesburg is massive."
He attributed some of the city’s financial pressures to population growth, informal settlements and the demands to upgrade infrastructure.
However, Lesufi said the provincial government was working with city leadership to develop support mechanisms.
Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina said the Klipdrift project had faced several delays, including the termination of an initial contractor due to poor workmanship, adverse weather conditions and difficult rocky terrain.
"We have taken some time, President. The first contractor, which was on site here, we had to terminate the contract, was doing bad work here. Then as they were working, there was inclement weather."
She said government remained committed to ensuring that the project delivered the intended benefits to communities.
The launch was attended by officials from national, provincial and local government, as well as representatives from Namibia, who joined the Mandela Day event focused on community upliftment and service delivery
