Interview: Chalmers Pagiwa, Lubisi Consulting

Water has been labelled by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa as an immediate crisis in the country, with a majority of communities and sectors experiencing widespread water and sanitation delivery failures, water insecurity and scarcity, and some receiving no supply at all. In his state of the nation address in February last year, the head of state said it was an urgent priority for the government to ensure a secure and reliable supply of water for all citizens. 

South Africa’s water woes have been attributed to critical challenges facing the sector, including ageing operation and maintenance infrastructure, organised criminality, water tankering and extortion syndicates, vandalism of essential public infrastructure, and corruption. In addition, demand for water has been rising exponentially in some areas due to rapid population growth and urbanisation, increasing water needs from industry, and the need to meet international obligations.

ConstructAfrica spoke with Chalmers Pagiwa, managing director of local professional services firm Lubisi Consulting, which provides water resources and structural engineering services to the public and private sectors. The firm has worked on several water schemes over the years in the Mpumalanga province and has first-hand experience on South Africa’s water crisis.

One of Lubisi Consulting’s completed schemes involved managing and overseeing the expansion of the Marloth Park water package plant in the Mpumalanga province. 

The town of nearly 19,500 residents was facing severe water shortages due to the outdated treatment plant, which had a capacity of 1.5 million litres a day (l/d). The project’s objective was to increase capacity to 2 million l/d, thus raising total capacity to 3.5 million l/d to meet current and future demand.

Civil works for the project included installing reinforced concrete clarifier slabs, tanks and a chlorine building, while mechanical/electrical works involved incorporating advanced dosing systems, clarifiers, filters and control systems.

Meanwhile, a dedicated project steering committee including residents’ associations and the ward councillor was established, which ensured regular communication and built trust between stakeholders. The appointment of a project liaison officer (PLO) further streamlined local labour recruitment and facilitated ongoing dialogue between the contractor, community and municipality.

Pagiwa told ConstructAfrica about the lessons learnt from the Marloth Park scheme and provided an overview of South Africa’s water and sanitation projects market and the potential for contractors in the sector.

Q) What are the lessons learned from the project for Lubisi Consulting Engineers?


A key lesson we learned from the Marloth Park water package plant upgrade is that water is a fundamental human right, deeply rooted in South Africa’s constitutional and social framework. Access to clean and safe water is critical for the dignity, health and wellbeing of all people, and aligns directly with the [UN’s] Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which calls for universal access to clean water and sanitation by 2030. 

This project reinforced the importance of ensuring water infrastructure upgrades deliver equitable access to water for all communities, acknowledging that everyone needs water for survival, socioeconomic development and improved quality of life.

The project further highlighted how engineering solutions must be inclusive and mindful of communities’ needs. Sustainable water infrastructure is not just a technical task but a social imperative requiring collaboration among engineers, municipalities, contractors and communities to uphold this essential human right.

On-the-job training of labour and increasing local labour participation proved effective for project execution as this also allowed for buy-in from the surrounding community.

The project was completed with no deviations from the original design and quality standards were met, demonstrating our project management and oversight capabilities.

Q) What were the challenges faced on the project and how were they solved?

Challenges included weather constraints that delayed the completion schedule and delays caused by subcontractors on mechanical works. These were managed by granting an extension of time on the contract and through effective coordination among contractors and engineers. 

In addition, ensuring labour-intensive works were aligned with SANS [South African National Standards] and increasing local labour use required thorough planning and supervision.

Q) Give us a general overview of the water and sanitation projects market in South Africa and the opportunities and challenges being encountered. 

[According to us], South Africa's water and sanitation sector is under significant pressure due to ageing infrastructure, inadequate maintenance and increasing demand from urbanisation and population growth. 

In February [2025], a new framework – the Water Resources Infrastructure Agency Act – was introduced. The aim of this act is to improve strategic planning and infrastructure management. 

While this is commendable and will likely lead to an increased number of projects in the water infrastructure sector, it is challenges such as underinvestment in municipal water distribution systems, poor maintenance and skills shortages that will likely continue to impact water security. 

Financing and coordination between national agencies and local municipalities remain crucial to upgrading infrastructure to meet SDG 6 targets for clean water and sanitation. Opportunities exist in public-private partnerships, infrastructure investment and technology deployment to address these challenges and build resilient water systems.​

Q) What is the potential for contractors in South Africa's water and sanitation sector? 

There is strong potential for contractors in the water and sanitation sector, spurred by extensive infrastructure investment plans at municipal and provincial levels. We will need to see new dams, water treatment plants and distribution systems being built to supply greater volumes of water to our country’s growing population, while older infrastructure will require regular maintenance and upgrades to prevent water losses.

As we are based and mostly active in Mpumalanga, we are encouraged by the number of projects that are taking place in our province, as historically, many communities that did not have access to clean water and sanitation are now being afforded this basic human right.

With the expansion of water distribution, we will see a high demand for consulting services related to the detailed engineering and design of water management systems, pumping stations, pipelines, water treatment plants and more. As more and more demand is being placed on our water resources, it is also our responsibility to allocate these resources effectively and to ensure water is being distributed equally and equitably. 

Top photo: Chalmers Pagiwa (Source: Company)