The City of Tshwane is making significant strides towards ensuring a resilient and inclusive water future, guided by a forward-looking collaboration. Since 2022, the City has partnered with the Danish Embassy, the City of Aarhus and Aarhus Vand, the renowned water utility company in Denmark, to co-develop its draft Water Security Vision 2050.
This strategic partnership has brought best practices in water management, waste water treatment and reuse, climate adaptation and circular economy principles to the local context, while also sharing innovative approaches to tackling non-revenue water, water lost through leaks, theft or metering inaccuracies and illegal connections, ensuring that the City's approach is both comprehensive and evidence based.
Led by the Water and Sanitation Business Unit, in partnership with the City Sustainability Division, the Communication, Marketing and Events Department and the Environment and Agriculture Management Department, the City is now conducting extensive stakeholder engagements to refine this draft vision.
The team understands that a vision of this magnitude cannot be developed in isolation. That is why they have been criss-crossing the city, engaging with a diverse cross section of stakeholders, including specialists in the water space, environmental groups, youth formations, community organisations, business leaders, academia and researchers. These engagements are not merely consultative, they are foundational. By actively listening to experts and residents alike, the City ensures that the vision, once approved by Council, will be inclusive, practical and supportive of every sector of society.
The final instalment of this engagement series will turn inward, targeting City of Tshwane employees through a dedicated webinar, alongside the Climate Change Action Group and key government departments. This internal engagement is crucial, as staff will be the primary drivers of implementation.
The Tshwane Water Security Vision 2050 is more than a policy document. It is a collective commitment to innovation, collaboration and sustainability. Rooted in a strong Danish-South African partnership and shaped by the voices of its people, the City is not just planning for water security, it is building a movement to ensure that every drop counts for the next 25 years and beyond.