Statistics South Africa records whether a household has piped water inside the dwelling, inside the yard, or must fetch it from further away. Water inside the dwelling is the standard most people would consider adequate. Nationally the picture is very uneven.
The 15 lowest
| Municipality | Province | Piped water inside | Electricity | Weekly refuse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Msinga | KwaZulu-Natal | 12.6% | 89.6% | 11.7% |
| Winnie Madikizela-Mandela | Eastern Cape | 15.8% | 93.3% | 16.0% |
| Ngquza Hills | Eastern Cape | 17.6% | 93.2% | 18.0% |
| Nkandla | KwaZulu-Natal | 17.8% | 95.7% | 16.2% |
| Maphumulo | KwaZulu-Natal | 17.9% | 94.9% | 15.0% |
| Joe Morolong | Northern Cape | 18.0% | 94.5% | 14.6% |
| Impendle | KwaZulu-Natal | 18.1% | 97.0% | 11.8% |
| Ntabankulu | Eastern Cape | 18.2% | 95.9% | 19.5% |
| Collins Chabane | Limpopo | 18.8% | 96.2% | 15.0% |
| Makhuduthamaga | Limpopo | 18.9% | 96.2% | 16.4% |
| Port St Johns | Eastern Cape | 19.0% | 91.9% | 18.7% |
| Hlabisa Big Five | KwaZulu-Natal | 20.0% | 95.1% | 17.3% |
| Nongoma | KwaZulu-Natal | 20.1% | 96.6% | 14.9% |
| Nquthu | KwaZulu-Natal | 20.4% | 93.5% | 21.9% |
| Umzimkhulu | KwaZulu-Natal | 20.5% | 96.2% | 23.0% |
The best served
| Municipality | Province | Piped water inside |
|---|---|---|
| Hessequa | Western Cape | 94.5% |
| Cape Agulhas | Western Cape | 94.4% |
| Langeberg | Western Cape | 91.7% |
| Swartland | Western Cape | 90.6% |
| Mossel Bay | Western Cape | 90.2% |
| Bergrivier | Western Cape | 88.7% |
| Drakenstein | Western Cape | 88.6% |
| Prince Albert | Western Cape | 88.3% |
| Overstrand | Western Cape | 87.6% |
| Beaufort West | Western Cape | 87.2% |
Who is responsible
Water services are provided by the water services authority for an area, which is usually the local or metropolitan municipality, and in some cases the district. The profile for each municipality records whether it provides water directly, alongside the number of households it serves.
Figures on this page come from National Treasury, Statistics South Africa and the Auditor-General, as set out in the sources and methodology. Read the methodology