Access to safe and hygienic sanitation is a human right as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and contributes to improved public health, dignity, and a clean environment (Section 24) of the Constitution of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996). In an endeavour to execute the Constitutional mandate, South Africa has committed to achieve the vision and objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP) which set the target that all South Africans should have access to affordable, reliable, and hygienic sanitation by 2030. The NDP coincides with the Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.2 on Sanitation and Hygiene which states that “By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situation”. In addition, the National Sanitation Policy 2016 gives effect to these targets.

South Africa has made significant progress in ensuring universal access to improved sanitation. Households with access to improved sanitation has increased from 61.7% in 2002 to 84.1% in 2021 (STATSSA 2022). To support achievement of these sanitation targets, the National Sanitation Integrated Plan (NSIP) has been developed to guide the sanitation sector in the implementation and monitoring of sanitation services in South Africa. Implementation of sanitation is fragmented; hence an integrated plan and a coordinated effort is required. The NSIP provides a 10-year roadmap for service delivery in the sanitation sector to guide the eradication of sanitation backlogs per provinces (inclusive of bucket toilets, open defaecation and all sanitation system that are below basic level of service ), ensure the provision of appropriate sanitation solutions, foster and increase the use of innovative and alternative sanitation solutions, and create a pathway to generate economic opportunities in the sector.

On the other hand, there is an urgent need to focus on sustaining the sanitation infrastructure that has been provided since the dawn of our democracy so as to prolong its lifespan so that the infrastructure remains in an operational, safe and hygienic condition whilst investing in new infrastructure to respond to rapid urbanisation.

The provision of sanitation services has to be responsive and adaptive taking into cognisance that South Africa is a water scarce country coupled with prolonged droughts in recent years which limit water availability in certain locations and is a real challenge to meet all water demands. Sanitation services in South Africa varies from off-site to on-site sanitation systems depending on settlement conditions. While we acknowledge that currently the predominant form of sanitation in South Africa is a waterborne system (61%) which has clear management and regulatory processes in place to ensure the discharge of effluent into the water sources meet the required standards, more attention should now be paid to the management processes of on-site sanitation.

The national and international commitments as alluded to earlier have been the drivers of safely managed sanitation which triggered the development of the National Faecal Sludge Management Strategy (FSM) which its primary focus is to improve the management of on-site sanitation systems. The sector needs to acknowledge that sanitation services are not only about infrastructure but also the integration of institutional, governance and financial management systems to sustain the service.

The National FSM strategy introduces a paradigm shift of safely managing sanitation along the sanitation service chain to ensure access to hygienic sanitation. Our goal is to mainstream faecal sludge management as an integral part of sustainable sanitation services that will ensure that people live in an environment that is not harmful to health or wellbeing. the implementation of this strategy would create economic and job opportunities. The opportunity to recovery, reuse and recycle faecal sludge and wastewater sludge would transition South Africa from sanitation linear to circular economy, by producing by-products such as compost, soil conditioners, biogas, building material, and animal feeds. There is also an opportunity to consider Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants in South Africa in order to maximise the reuse and recycling aspect of waste but also to minimize the detrimental impact of disposal of faecal sludge in the Waste Water Treatment Works.

With only 6 years left until 2030 and approximately 2.8 million households without appropriate sanitation, the country requires cross-sectoral partnerships and collaboration between government, private sector, academic institutions, research institutions, civil society organisations, communities and other sector partners at all levels to accelerate access to sanitation services. The National Sanitation Framework that has been approved by Cabinet will assist Government to provide equitable and safe sanitation in all settlement types, ensuring that “no one is left behind” irrespective of where communities stay. The Department of Water and Sanitation’s vision is to see sanitation services in South Africa contributing significantly to a strong economy and a healthy environment by ensuring good public health, good hygienic services, equitable, sustainable and efficient for all people.