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South Africa’s growing water constraints are placing increasing pressure on agriculture, with industry and policy stakeholders warning that competition for the resource will intensify as demand rises across sectors.
Speaking during a Nation in Conversation panel discussion at NAMPO Harvest Day, experts reiterated that South Africa remains a water-scarce country despite recent periods of above-average rainfall.
“We have a constrained water resource situation,” the panel heard, noting that rising demand from urban expansion, industry, and environmental requirements is placing additional pressure on available supply.
Agriculture currently accounts for more than 60% of national water use, making it the largest single user and placing it at the centre of future allocation debates.
Climate variability complicates planning
Panellists said climate variability is adding further uncertainty to water availability, with conditions shifting towards more extreme weather patterns. South Africa recently experienced flooding and above-average rainfall in parts of the country, but the outlook suggests a return to drier conditions under a possible El Niño cycle.
Prof Mike Muller of the University of the Witwatersrand said climate change is increasing variability rather than simply reducing rainfall. “We don’t have to worry quite so much about average rainfall. What we do have to worry about is how it comes,” Muller said, pointing to more intense rainfall events followed by longer dry periods.
This variability increases the importance of infrastructure, storage, and long-term planning across the water system.
Infrastructure and system performance under pressure
Beyond water availability, speakers highlighted concerns around infrastructure performance and system efficiency. Ageing infrastructure, maintenance backlogs, and governance challenges continue to affect water distribution, with significant losses occurring before water reaches end users.
Panel participants cited estimates that a large share of treated water is lost through leaks and system inefficiencies, particularly in municipal systems. “If you can fix some of those leaks, you remove much of the competitive pressure,” one speaker noted, linking infrastructure performance directly to overall water availability.
The establishment of the South African National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency is expected to help address maintenance and investment challenges, with plans to scale up infrastructure spending and improve governance.
Policy framework under review
At a policy level, water allocation remains governed by the South African National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998), which classifies water as a national resource managed by the state.
Janse Rabie, head of AgriSA’s Natural Resources Centre of Excellence, said the legal framework is designed to balance constitutional rights, including access to water, food security and environmental protection. “It’s a politically and socially contested area,” Rabie said, emphasising that allocation decisions must weigh competing priorities across sectors.
Proposed amendments to the act are expected to further refine allocation mechanisms, including the transition from existing lawful water use to licensing systems.
Allocation and efficiency at the centre of debate
The allocation of water among agriculture, urban use, and industry remains a key focus, with little expectation that additional water will be made available to agriculture. “There’s not going to be a shift of water from cities and industry to agriculture,” Muller said, adding that the sector will need to rely on improved efficiency to sustain production.
This places greater emphasis on water-use efficiency, which producers have already begun to address through irrigation technology, data use, and production practices.
However, stakeholders cautioned that efficiency gains alone may not offset growing demand. “Efficiency alone cannot solve the systemic constraint,” the panel noted, pointing to structural limits within the water system.
Impact on producers and production decisions
For producers, water security remains a key determinant of production planning and investment decisions. “If water availability is insecure, people cannot plant,” the panel heard, with potential implications for crop selection, output levels and job creation.
Reduced planting in response to uncertainty could affect food supply, push up consumer prices, and limit employment growth in agriculture.
Water quality is also a concern, with pollution and declining standards affecting both crop health and production costs.
Growing role for collaboration
Despite these challenges, speakers underscored the need for increased collaboration between government and industry, particularly around licensing processes and system improvements.
Gregory Smith, chief executive officer of the South African Association for Water User Associations, said engagement with the Department of Water and Sanitation has improved in recent years, allowing greater coordination on operational issues.
Public-private partnerships and user-level management structures, such as water user associations, were identified as critical to improving local water management and system performance. “There is already a sense of collaboration,” Smith said, pointing to the shared management of infrastructure and local water systems.
Balancing competing demands
The panel concluded that water in South Africa is no longer purely a technical or resource issue, but a broader economic and social challenge that requires balanced decision-making.
The discussion pointed out that water was no longer just a resource but a shared constraint, highlighting the need to balance agricultural production, urban growth and environmental sustainability.
As demand continues to rise and variability increases, the ability to manage water efficiently, maintain infrastructure, and coordinate across sectors will be central to sustaining agricultural output and economic stability. – Nikilene Steenkamp, Plaas Media
