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Expert Roundtable - Tackling Sustainable Water Supply and Public Wastewater Treatment in South Africa

South Africa is the most industrialised and technologically advanced economy in Africa and the most important partner for Bavarian companies in the region. To sustain economic growth and in bracing for the impacts of climate change, the South Africa government must secure water for a growing population.

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On 19. February 2025, the expert round table “Tackling Sustainable Water Supply and Public Wastewater Treatment in South Africa” saw experts from South Africa and Bavaria sharing their insights on the current state of the water and sanitation infrastructure, as well as how to address the issues of physical water losses in our water networks and wastewater treatment challenges. 

 

This webinar zoomed in on the City of Cape Town’s plans to augment and refurbish the water and sanitation infrastructure. Umgeni Water Services presented on the current skill shortages, which must be addressed to ensure continued and improved supply of vital services to residents. How this is done in German Wastewater Treatment Plants was illustrated by a Bavarian expert from the wastewater treatment plant in the Bavarian town of Gersthofen.

We asked the audience at our webinar to choose any treatment method or technology that they think is critical for improving water and wastewater management in South Africa. The result is presented below and shows that multiple solutions are attractive.

CCEE Expert Roundtable feedback

The speakers

Moderation: 

  • Vera Massie, Water Portfolio Manager at the Southern African-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAGCC)

Welcome: 

  • Georg Schmidt, Senior Ministerial Advisor of Bavaria’s Ministry of Economic Affairs
  • Simone Pohl, CEO of the SAGCC and representative of the State of Bavaria in South Africa

Presentation on Drop Reports: 

  • Anet Muir, Chief Director for Water Use Compliance & Enforcement at the South African Department of Water and Sanitation

Non-revenue water in the City of Cape Town: 

  • Christopher Norman, Head of Projects and Implementation in the Wastewater branch at the City of Cape Town

How to address non-revenue water: 

  • Diego Escutia, International Sales Manager Water Division of the Bavarian company SebaKMT, a member of Megger Group. SebaKMT is the pioneer in the development and manufacture of measuring systems for water leak detection and water loss reduction.

Water and wastewater infrastructure plans for the City of Cape Town:

  • Keith Olsen, Programme Manager for Wastewater, City of Cape Town
  • Christopher Norman, Head of Projects and Implementation in the Wastewater branch at the City of Cape Town.

Addressing wastewater challenges: 

  • Gert de Kock, representing the Bavarian company HUBER as the Project Manager of HUBER South Africa. HUBER is well known for their high-quality machines, plants and stainless-steel equipment, which are already installed in many South African wastewater treatment plants.

Addressing skill shortages of professionals in the water and sanitation sector:

  • Peter Thompson, Managing Director at Umgeni Water Services
  • Markus Tittel, Plant Manager at the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Gersthofen, a town in the district of Augsburg in Bavaria

Download the presentations given in the webinar:

This webinar is the third in a series of four events, leading up to the IFAT Africa taking place in Johannesburg in July 2025. This webinar series is brought to you by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Bavarian Representative Office in South Africa, in cooperation with the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection and the Water Technology Transfer Network.

Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs

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