Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
We are now more than six months into the ten-year Water Resilience Strategy:
What are the key early milestones achieved with the implementation of the Water Resilience Strategy and (b) what are specific examples of communities already benefiting from these interventions?
We have completed the first version of the Water Resilience Implementation Plans for all five provincial districts by March 2026. These plans translate the Strategy into practical, district‑level and municipal‑level interventions and set out the funding pathways for implementation. We have also established a structured process to update these plans over the next three years through direct engagement with municipalities, the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Department of Infrastructure, the Department of Agriculture, MISA, and other partners.
In addition, we have completed several projects under the Department’s Geo‑Hydro Programme, which supports the Strategy’s focus on diversifying water sources and augmenting water supply. This includes completion of Version 1 of the Klein Karoo Regional Water Supply Scheme, as well as groundwater investigations, wellfield development, emergency supply interventions, and technical advisory work across municipalities such as Bitou, Swellendam, Prince Albert, Cape Agulhas, Beaufort West, Matzikama, Laingsburg, and Knysna.
(b) Several communities are already benefiting from these early interventions. In Knysna, drought‑response measures implemented from December 2025 have supported short‑term supply stability. In Vanrhynsdorp, additional borehole investigations have strengthened local water availability. Emergency interventions, including the Klaarstroom water supply project, have been identified for implementation through the Water Resilience Grant.
For the 2026/27 financial year, through the Water Resilience Grant, we have allocated R40.5 million towards Western Cape municipalities for the implementation of priority projects identified through Water Resilience Planning. This funding will support emergency supply measures, groundwater development, and other resilience‑building interventions across vulnerable towns.
