The Water Sector – GreenCape Market Intelligence Report 2015

The report assesses the water-stressed environment of South Africa and the Western Cape, highlighting the risk that water scarcity may constrain economic development. It outlines the governance structure under the National Water Act and Water Services Act, identifies seven key opportunity areas for the private sector—including invasive alien plant clearing and wastewater treatment—and discusses infrastructure projects such as the Clanwilliam Dam and various desalination plants. It also notes significant barriers, particularly chronic skills shortages in municipal engineering and management.

• South Africa is a water-stressed country where climate models suggest the Western Cape will become hotter and drier, with more intense rainfall events and floods, potentially constraining the province's economic development.
• Agriculture is the primary driver of water demand in South Africa, accounting for 66% of total water use, specifically for irrigation.
• The report identifies seven primary opportunity areas for private sector investment: clearing invasive alien plants (IAP), rainwater harvesting (RWH), reducing municipal leaks (RML), agricultural treatment and reuse (ATR), industrial treatment and reuse (ITR), domestic treatment and reuse (DTR), and decentralised wastewater treatment works (DWWTW).
• Significant financial gaps exist in water infrastructure; capital investment for the entire value chain over the next decade is projected to cost R670 billion, with only 45% currently provisionally budgeted.
• The Western Cape is implementing several supply-side interventions, including the R2.5 billion project to raise the Clanwilliam Dam (due March 2017) and the deployment of desalination plants in Mossel Bay, Lamberts Bay, and proposed sites in Saldanha Bay and Cape Town.
• Non-Revenue Water (NRW) represents a major loss for the national sector, estimated at 36.8% of supplied water, resulting in an annual revenue loss of approximately R7.2 billion.
• A critical barrier to sector progress is a chronic shortage of technical skills in municipalities, where 25% of engineering and management posts remain vacant for more than three months.

APA

GreenCape (2015). The Water Sector – GreenCape Market Intelligence Report 2015. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Market-Intelligence-Reports-Water-7.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. The Water Sector – GreenCape Market Intelligence Report 2015. 2015. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Market-Intelligence-Reports-Water-7.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=The Water Sector – GreenCape Market Intelligence Report 2015 |date=2015 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Market-Intelligence-Reports-Water-7.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2015water, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{The Water Sector – GreenCape Market Intelligence Report 2015}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2015}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Market-Intelligence-Reports-Water-7.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }