 The 18th of September is World Water Monitoring Day, held each year to promote public awareness around the importance of water quality by involving communities in water testing and monitoring.
“Community participation is essential to preserving this precious but scarce resource, without which we cannot survive,” says Dr Lester Goldman, Chief Executive Officer of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA). However, says Goldman, ongoing training and capacity building among all stakeholders is critical to ensuring South Africa manages water demand meaningfully and effectively. Water scarcity in SA Stats SA estimates that South Africa’s population in 2025 is 63.1 million people. By 2040, that figure is projected at 74 million and by 2050, just over 79 million. Although the population continues to expand, the country’s water supply does not. According to the World Bank, while each Icelandic person had 456,351 cubic metres of water available to them in 2021, each South African had only 728 cubic metres. “Our water is a fixed sum and can only be preserved through protection of water sources, conservative use and heavy recycling, all of which take concerted effort by municipalities and the public alike,” says Goldman. The good news is that targeted training and capacity building that engage communities has already shown results in several past projects. Good examples Water projects in Mogale, Emfuleni and Khayelitsha each enlisted the help of their communities to build capacity and achieved outstanding results through training and workshops. In Mogale City, the Demand Management Training Programme addressed the municipality’s skills shortages by training twelve unemployed and indigent youths - especially women - as water demand managers. These individuals were taught various skills, such as leak detection, data logging, meter reading and installation, control valve maintenance, and more. The result was improved capacity, better skills and job creation. The Emfuleni Leakage Reduction Project was created to address abnormal consumption due to the overuse of hosepipes and sprinklers by residents. The municipality hired and trained 51 Water Services Assessors and two Water Services Assessor Coordinators, and implemented schools’ awareness, community awareness and water wise gardening programmes. This resulted in better reporting of water and sanitation problems, allowing municipal capacity to be allocated more effectively. In Khyelitsha, the main source of leakage was identified as damage to low-cost housing plumbing fittings by the high-pressure water supply. Residents could neither afford to repair the constant leaks nor foot the bill for the wasted water. A Pressure Management Project saw the construction of a pressure management installation to reduce excessive pressure using local labour, the training of two municipal personnel to maintain and operate the installation, and the participation of the community in making the project a success. The programme saves more than nine million cubic metres of water per year, amounting to R27 million per annum. “These projects show the importance of community involvement, but they can only succeed through good leadership and professional expertise,” says Goldman. The need for professionalisation Professionalisation in municipality water planning, management and operations ensure that communities are dealt with ethically and competently. “Professionalisation is a core driver of capacity building and training because those implementing efficiency programmes and passing skills down to communities have proven themselves compliant with law and recognised standards of competence and practice,” says Goldman. WISA makes itself available to municipalities across South Africa to build professionalisation in the water industry. “This can ensure that more of these projects are initiated and concluded successfully for effective water demand management and the preservation of our most precious resource,” says Goldman. Sources:
ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, [email protected], 082 573 9219, www.atthatpoint.co.za For more information on WISA please visit: Website: https://wisa.org.za/ X: @WaterInstituteSA LinkedIn: Water Institute of Southern Africa Facebook: Water Institute of Southern Africa
0 Comments
 The African Union-AIP Water Investment Summit 2025 held in Cape Town this month proved largely successful, raising USD 10 billion[1] in investment commitments for the continent.
However, water infrastructure investment needs to be equally matched by investment in skills and professionalisation within both the water sector and its external support partners. This is according to Dr Lester Goldman, CEO of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA). “We’re not saying that infrastructure investment is not critical or welcome but without the right skills, it’s an exercise in futility,” he says. The human factor Days before the summit, President Ramaphosa presided over the opening of the new System 5A Water Purification Plant[2] at Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch Station in Vereeniging. The plant adds 600 million litres of potable water per day to the system - enough to supply 2.4 million people. “We are celebrating the completion of a vital piece of infrastructure, and we are affirming our shared commitment to the people of South Africa to continuously provide clean, reliable and safe water,” he said. It’s a commitment that needs to be supported by sufficient capacity and skills. “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,” says Goldman. There must be ample skills in three main categories - leadership; management across the various departments; and technical skills within the water department itself. Goldman says each is equally important and supports the others to form a dependency chain. 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. Professionalisation and training Regulation 3630[3] , gazetted on 3 June 2023, requires that water services works be supervised by at least a Class V process controller. Professionals of this class and above must register with WISA, meet its membership standards, and pursue continuous professional development (CPD) as required. Lower classes must also undergo continued education independently. Yet, there is a lot of resistance to the regulation. Most process controllers work in municipalities and, although they knew they had until 1 July 2025 to register, many have not complied. Goldman says it comes from a combination of ignorance, unnecessary budgetary resistance by the powers that be, and the individuals themselves. Councillors, municipal managers, politicians and others in charge don’t want to spend money, although the cost of training is comparatively low. Individuals may fear that they don’t meet the standard or may not be able to maintain it going forward. “These concerns are unnecessary - you spend less maintaining skills than maintaining broken infrastructure and processes, and professionalisation is not an obstacle but a career enhancer,” says Goldman. A boon to the water sector Regulation 3630 promises to enhance accountability, transparency and performance within the water sector - something many process controllers want. “They are finally being acknowledged as professionals, like engineers and scientists in the industry already are,” he says. The well-known Blue Drop and Green Drop reports also draw a direct correlation between municipality performance and their capacity. 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. Goldman invites municipalities and process controllers to open a dialogue with WISA to air their concerns and understand the true benefits of professionalisation. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, [email protected], 082 573 9219, www.atthatpoint.co.za For more information on WISA please visit: Website: https://wisa.org.za/ X: @WaterInstituteSA LinkedIn: Water Institute of Southern Africa Facebook: Water Institute of Southern Africa https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/water-and-sanitation-more-10-billion-raised-during-water-investment-summit%C2%A0 https://infrastructurenews.co.za/2025/08/13/south-africas-new-water-plant-secures-future-supply-for-2-4-million-people/ https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202307/48865gon3630.pdf  Companies in the food and beverage/manufacturing/mining/agriculture/chemical/energy/automotive manufacturing sectors may be facing a 30 June 2025 deadline of which they weren’t even aware.
By that date, both private companies and municipalities that operate water and wastewater treatment facilities in South Africa must be able to prove that they have registered a supervisor as a Professional Process Controller with the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), as required by Regulation 3630 of the National Water Act. The regulation came into effect in 2023 and granted organisations 24 months to comply. The risk of non-compliance Non-compliant facilities risk fines, penalties, forced shutdowns of water or wastewater treatment operations, and even civil or criminal liability for environmental or health violations. If they haven’t already, organisations should urgently budget for and fast-track the necessary training and registration to remain compliant. “The requirements under Regulation 3630 addresses the increasing complexity of water purification, and the understanding that water and wastewater processes need to be monitored, even if they are to some extent automated,” explains Dr Lester Goldman, CEO of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA). The role of HR Compliance with the regulation is not only a technical or operational issue, but also a staff qualifications and employment compliance matter. The responsibility to register the relevant individual therefore lies with HR departments, compliance officers, operations managers, facilities or environmental managers, and in smaller firms with the general manager or executive who oversees multiple functions, Dr Goldman explains. Regulation 3630 mandates that water and wastewater treatment plants in South Africa must have a senior, professionally registered process controller as their supervisor. This means that a Professional Process Controller registered with the Water Institute of Southern Africa WISA – not an engineer or scientist – must be the supervisor at the treatment plant. Class V and Class VI Process Controllers (known as Senior Process Controllers) must also be registered with WISA as Professional Process Controllers. Process Controllers who are registered with WISA are bound by the association’s code of conduct and have access to continuous professional development to uphold their professional status. The association also provides guidance and support to new entrants into this field to strengthen the pipeline of scarce and critical skills in South Africa’s water sector. Acknowledging the existing compliance burden on companies, Dr Goldman softens the additional blow: “Companies who comply with the regulation are – by virtue of their compliance – also making a crucial investment in the water security of South Africa.” More information on Regulation 3630 of the National Water Act and related compliance matters are available at [LINK to new page on WISA website] ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, [email protected], 082 573 9219, www.atthatpoint.co.za For more information on WISA please visit: Website: https://wisa.org.za/ X: @WaterInstituteSA LinkedIn: Water Institute of Southern Africa Facebook: Water Institute of Southern Africa  The deadline to professionally register water process controllers by 30 June 2025 may seem like yet another onerous layer of red tape, when it’s in fact a critical step towards improving accountability and setting standards in South Africa’s water sector. Regulation 3630 of the National Water Act mandates that all water and wastewater works be managed by qualified professionals to ensure compliance and best practice – by registering all plant supervisors at the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA). This will benefit ordinary water users and businesses in South Africa while also empowering a professional designation that has historically not received the recognition that its vital role deserves.
Essential part of the water chain ‘Process controllers essentially run the water and wastewater treatment plants across the country by monitoring, operating and managing all the required processes,’ says Dr Lester Goldman, CEO of WISA. ‘Being a key part of the water chain, process controllers will now see their responsibilities aligned like those of engineers and natural scientists, in whose shadow they have operated.’ This lack of visibility is rooted in history. Process controllers started out as ‘operators’ with minimal qualifications, often ending up in water treatment plants as a form of demotion or punishment. ‘It used to be an undesirable job, so instead of being dismissed for whatever reason, you would be sent to that “stinky” place situated somewhere on the outskirts of the municipality,’ says Goldman. However, over the past six decades, their role has significantly evolved along with the increasing complexity of water purification, and the understanding that water and wastewater go through some key processes, which need to be monitored – with many of these now automated. Mandatory registration Nowadays, the designation of process controller requires a minimum NQF 6 qualification and several years of work experience. ‘They are the unsung heroes who ensure that everything functions in the provision of our most precious natural resource,’ says Goldman. ‘Regulation 3630 clearly states that the supervisor of every licenced water or wastewater treatment plant in South Africa must now be a senior process controller and be professionally registered.’ This means that even municipalities with capacity issues can’t opt out of registering their process controller or simply register one of their engineers or scientists instead, as either scenario would make them non-compliant. The reason for specifying ‘senior process controller’ is that experts in engineering or natural science are highly specialised but don’t necessarily have the competency to manage the water treatment processes and run the actual plant itself. Raising the bar Regulation 3630 will go a long way towards professionalising the roughly 4000 process controllers in South Africa. The standardising of their education and training will raise the bar and produce better qualified process controllers. It should also inspire new entrants into the profession and encourage continuous upskilling for those already on this career path. ‘As the Blue Drop and Green Drop reports show, there is a positive correlation between the number of trained professionals and performance in the water sector,’ says Goldman, hinting at improvements in water quality and availability for residential and commercial users. Furthermore, setting compulsory national standards for process controllers will also strengthen accountability in the daily operations of South Africa’s water and wastewater treatment works. This, in turn, should lead to more transparency, better local governance, and ultimately to an improvement in water service delivery. ‘The mandatory registration of process controllers should not be a grudge purchase,’ concludes Goldman. ‘Public and private Water Service Institutions need to budget and fast-track training for this registration, because it’s a crucial investment in the water security of South Africa.’ ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, [email protected], 082 573 9219, www.atthatpoint.co.za For more information on WISA please visit: Website: https://wisa.org.za/ X: @WaterInstituteSA LinkedIn: Water Institute of Southern Africa Facebook: Water Institute of Southern Africa |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed