---
title: "VISUAL STORY: SA's unfinished water projects are years late and billions over budget"
description: "Across South Africa, billions have been spent on water supply projects that remain unfinished years after their original deadlines. This data visualisation maps where the delays are the worst, how much has been spent and what’s behind the hold-ups."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "SERVICE (NON)DELIVERY"
author: "Daily Maverick Reporter"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/daily-maverick-reporter/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-26-visual-story-sas-unfinished-water-projects-are-years-late-and-billions-over-budget/"
published: "2025-10-26T21:09:05"
updated: "2025-10-26T21:09:07"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 146
---

# VISUAL STORY: SA's unfinished water projects are years late and billions over budget

> Across South Africa, billions have been spent on water supply projects that remain unfinished years after their original deadlines. This data visualisation maps where the delays are the worst, how much has been spent and what’s behind the hold-ups.

By Daily Maverick Reporter · Published 26 October 2025, 23:09 SAST · Updated 26 October 2025, 23:09 SAST

## Key points
- From KwaZulu-Natal's planning blunders to Gauteng's procurement puzzles, South Africa's infrastructure projects are caught in a perfect storm of contractor chaos, community unrest and funding feuds.
- Poor contractor performance is the primary cause of project delays across provinces, impacting nearly all cases.
- KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo face severe planning failures and funding constraints, extending project timelines significantly.
- Community unrest and vandalism frequently disrupt projects in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and North West, damaging infrastructure and halting work.
- Gauteng struggles with technical and procurement issues, while the Western Cape's desalination project is mired in funding and contractual disputes.

## Content

#### **What’s behind the hold-ups?**

Across provinces, poor contractor and implementing agent performance is the most common cause of delay, appearing in nearly every case.

KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo are the most affected by planning failures, irregularities and funding constraints, which have caused projects to drag on for years.

Community unrest, site intimidation and vandalism are recurring issues in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and North West, often halting work and damaging completed infrastructure.

Gauteng’s challenges are mainly technical and procurement-related, while Western Cape’s main desalination project suffers from funding and contractual disputes rather than systemic planning failures.

![Residents queue for water  in Swazi Township on July 30, 2024 in Daveyton, South Africa. It is reported that residents of Gauteng are facing water interruptions due to  infrastructural maintenance. (Photo: Gallo Images/OJ Koloti)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/sbQPkqLHxkCh3-ZP3fTpHlzRtTQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ED_514607.jpg)

*Residents queue for water in Swazi township on 30 July 2024 in Daveyton, South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / OJ Koloti)*

![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Group-62.png)

#### **The delayed projects**

![Residents protest against water shortages in Westbury on 11 September 2025. (Photo: Fani Mahuntsi / Gallo Images / Fani Mahuntsi)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/H_eF1w6_nrpiLSQ_zk4smMKs1JE=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ED_572820.jpg)

*Residents protest against water shortages in Westbury on 11 September. (Photo: Fani Mahuntsi / Gallo Images)*

![A tank delivers water to residents of Hammanskraal. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/p0jzcuDfoabc3Q9XmDH9KYVASdk=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/20V7875.jpg)

*A tank delivers water to residents of Hammanskraal. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*