Pipes and people: Water investment needs skills to flow

At the recent African Union-AIP Water Investment Summit in Cape Town, the government lauded the USD 10 billion commitment to boost water infrastructure in South Africa and across the continent. Yet, concerns remain over whether the sector has the necessary skills to sustain and manage this investment effectively.

Chief executive officer of Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), Dr Lester Goldman, said water infrastructure investment needs to be equally matched by investment in skills and professionalisation within the water sector and its external partners, like farmers.

He said it was important to balance both investment and skills to operate the infrastructure that is not only important to citizens but also to the agricultural sector.

Investing in skilled workers

“It’s a commitment that needs to be supported by sufficient capacity and skills. We’re not saying that infrastructure investment is not critical or welcome, but without the right skills, it’s an exercise in futility.

“Capacity speaks of the right mix of people, processes and policies within organisations responsible for water, but skills are about the people themselves possessing standards-based talent to perform their duties effectively,” he said.

Goldman said to ensure that the agricultural sector, which is heavily reliant on water, is not hugely impacted, there must be ample skills in three main categories: leadership, management across the various departments, and technical skills within the water department itself.

“Leaders in the water sector are not necessarily water experts. They are counsellors, decision makers, finance managers and other managers in support departments outside the technical water department. So, they depend on the expertise of technical professionals.

“So, yes, water investment is welcome, but people are just as critical as pipes and plants, and South Africa must invest in both to secure water resilience,” he said.

Meanwhile, the commissioner for agriculture, rural development, blue economy and sustainable environment of the African Union Commission, Moses Vilakati, said the gathering was a call to action and a platform for transformation.

“The African Union declared water as the theme for the year 2026, and it is our fervent hope that this will help in our drive for better water investments in the continent,” he said.

Water infrastructure that works

Vilakati said if water infrastructure works, the agricultural sector will flourish and be able to create much-needed jobs for rural communities.

Thapelo Mosikare, a livestock farmer in Kuruman in the Northern Cape, said the backlog of water infrastructure is a serious concern in their area and is delaying their plans to increase their operations.

“It is very hard to increase our production as the water in our taps is not enough to cater for our operations. We knock on municipal doors; however, it becomes hard to get an ear or even responses on why water is not flowing as it is supposed to,” he said.

Mosikare called on both the local and provincial governments to speed up the process of water projects that have been halted for years, thus leading them to have dry taps, which were starving their animals.