Moreover, an estimated 37 percent of the water in South Africa’s municipal systems is non-revenue water (NRW). This means it is “lost” – through leaks, theft, or metering inaccuracies – before it reaches customers. This is equivalent to 1,580 million m3, with a value of more than 7 billion South African rand ($500 million) annually.

This ultimately presents a direct risk to all water users. Challenges to addressing high NRW include the lack of managerial and technical skills in municipalities, aging and dilapidated infrastructure, rapid housing developments unaligned to infrastructure master planning and budgets, and a poor understanding of the complexities of water supply and demand management.