A seismic critique from within government has exposed the raw nerve of South Africa’s escalating water and sanitation crisis, as Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Isaac Sello Seitlholo (MP) publicly declared he is “personally tired of Summits and Indabas.” In a blunt LinkedIn post, he issued a defining directive for 2026 that has resonated across the sector: “This year, we must talk less and DO more.”
The unfiltered message has triggered a wave of agreement from mayors, engineers, advisors, and industry leaders, revealing a shared frustration with a cycle of conferences and dialogues that have not translated into real-world sanitation and wastewater solutions.
From summit fatigue to “festival of solutions”
Seitlholo’s rejection of more “talk shops” has rapidly evolved into proposals for action-driven platforms that prioritise implementation over speeches. Funani Owen Ramalamula of SALGA Limpopo confirmed that local government actors are already shifting in the same direction, explaining that they are finalising a “festival of innovation and solutions” built around exhibitions and demonstrations to promote “real, implementable and scalable interventions” that bring innovators and solution providers closer to municipalities.
Commentator Sanele Tshazi captured the sector’s core failure, stating that “the sanitation and wastewater space doesn’t suffer from a lack of ideas, it suffers from a lack of coordination, implementation, and scale,” and fully supported a practical, action-oriented platform that moves “from presentations to pilots, proof of concept, and deployable models.”
Breaking procurement deadlock with proven technology platforms
Beyond event fatigue, sector leaders are targeting the structural bottlenecks that prevent credible technologies from reaching municipalities.
Benoit Le Roy, Co‑founder of Water Ledger Ltd, posed a pointed question: whether the sector would welcome “a technology innovation platform, not R&D but proven and able to be selected by local government that is currently unable to secure innovative solutions,” a direction endorsed as “the way to go” by Reddrok Water Security Corp CTO David Fulton. This proposal underlines the gap between world‑class innovators at bodies like the Water Research Commission (WRC South Africa), SASTEP and UKZN’s WASH R&D Centre, and the municipalities on the front lines, with process engineer Karabo Nthethe warning that “there is definitely lots of talk shows but little change on the ground” unless discussions convert into implemented actions at scale.
Fixing local government and ending “litigation over delivery”
The implementation push has also sharpened focus on governance, capacity, and accountability across all spheres of the state. Hydrologist Muziwakhe Solomon Rameetse warned that many municipalities are not following policy on skilled personnel in the water and wastewater sector, leaving qualified graduates at home due to “comrades interference,” a concern that Seitlholo acknowledged while stating that “if we fix local government, we’ve fixed half of our problems in SA.”
City of Tshwane councillor Cindy Billson praised the Deputy Minister for going on the ground—tracing the pollution path of the Hennops River to Hartbeespoort Dam and confronting local authorities—but cautioned that “we cannot remain stuck in endless court processes,” arguing that “implementation, coordination, and accountability across all spheres of government is where real progress will happen,” especially in provinces where litigation has too often replaced coordinated intervention.
Coalition of the frustrated: from hashtags to hard delivery
The reaction to Seitlholo’s post has crystallised into a broad “coalition of the frustrated” uniting government, private sector, and academia behind a single demand: delivery. Voices such as Tarryn Johnston expressed open exhaustion with hearing “everything that’s already been said and not done,” while others like Tshepang Mokoena thanked the Deputy Minister for a “candid and solution-driven message” and sought alignment with platforms like WRC, SASTEP, and UKZN’s WASH R&D Centre to contribute to implementation. With endorsements ranging from Naidoo (D), who called it a “brilliant, brilliant idea,” to Bruce Dalton’s demand for “less talk about it and more what are we going to do about it,” the directive for 2026 has become clear: replace summits with solution festivals, unlock procurement through accessible, proven technology platforms, and shift from courtroom battles to coordinated, on‑the‑ground delivery that stops sewage in rivers and restores water security.
Strategic themes for public discourse
The unfolding debate has cemented several strategic themes for public discourse and policy focus in 2026. These include the “Water and Sanitation Crisis South Africa 2026,” the urgent “Wastewater Solutions Implementation” agenda, the central role of “WRC South Africa & SASTEP” as innovation engines, the imperative of “Local Government Water Solutions” through skilled staffing and governance reform, and the rise of an “Action-Oriented Sanitation Platform” that turns summit fatigue into implementation festivals. For South Africa, the bottom line is stark: summit fatigue has become a national consensus, and the critical question is whether this unified #TalkLessDoMore call will finally break the cycle and unleash the action wave the country’s water security can no longer live without.
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