By: Dr Lester Goldman, CEO of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA)
I remember chatting to a seasoned municipal worker once. He laughed and said, “You know, if someone in the municipality messed up, they’d get sent to the wastewater works as punishment.” And for too long, that was the perception—that working in water treatment meant you were at the end of the line. A dead-end. A dumping ground.
But what happens when the so-called “stinky place” is actually the frontline of public health? When that product, is finally recognised as the most important resource, one which we will all die without, which economies need more than anything else.
Crisis beyond the headlines
Let’s cut through the niceties: our water sector is bleeding. The 2023 Blue Drop report shows that only circa 3% of water systems made the grade. That’s not just disappointing—it’s dangerous. Almost a third of systems are critically non-compliant, and we’re losing billions of litres daily, particularly in places like Gauteng. It’s not just infrastructure that’s collapsing—it’s accountability.
In many communities, water doesn’t come out the tap. And when it does, sometimes, it’s not safe. But this isn’t a story about despair. It’s about a shift that’s already in motion. It’s about getting off our armchairs and actually walking the talk.
Regulation 3630: a line in the sand
Regulation 3630 might sound like another faceless policy to some, but to those of us who care about clean water and integrity in service delivery, it’s a long-overdue breath of fresh air.
By insisting that professionally registered process controllers take the lead at treatment works, the regulation sends a clear message: technical roles deserve technical leadership. This is about dignity, about credibility, and about putting the right people in the right roles with the right authority.
WISA’s been instrumental in bringing this shift into the light. They’ve helped elevate process controllers from anonymous foot soldiers to acknowledged professionals. You can feel the pride building. It’s not loud yet—but it’s spreading.it will spread, and accountability will happen, and that will mitigate the performance and accountability challenge…at least from a WISA perspective.
AWSISA, operation vulindlela, and the push for structural change
What gives me hope is the way that new advocacy bodies like AWSISA are stepping forward. Their latest articles challenge government to separate operations from politics. They’re advocating for proper utility models, and most importantly, the professionalisation of local government.
Just look at their response to the rollout of Operation Vulindlela Phase II—bold, assertive, and focused on impact. It’s not about paperwork. It’s about delivering water that doesn’t make people sick.
Learning from the Best (and the Rest)
Other sectors don’t debate this stuff:
- Doctors? Registered through HPCSA.
- Engineers? ECSA.
- Teachers? SACE.
If a hospital wouldn’t let an unqualified nurse run the ICU, then how can we let unqualified process controllers manage a treatment works that serves 100,000 people?
We trust professionals where lives are at risk—and water is life.
What real reform could look like
So where to next?
- Mentorship pipelines—from junior process controllers to senior controllers—need structure.
- Let’s tie funding to measurable outcomes: if a municipality improves its Drop score, unlock more grants.
- And perhaps most crucially, we need an independent accountability body—something like the Independent Water Regulator-to remove political shielding and make sure the public interest stays front and centre.
Flipping the script
The goal here isn’t just compliance. It’s pride. It’s service. It’s protecting the most vulnerable South Africans by ensuring that those managing our water systems are respected, supported, and held accountable—just like the surgeons, the civil engineers, and the school principals.
It’s time to stop treating the water sector as a “place you get sent to.” It should be a destination for professionals who want to make a tangible, lifesaving difference.
And maybe, just maybe, if we get it right in water, we’ll set a precedent for fixing so much more.
