RAND WATER ANNUAL REPORT 2023

120 years of excellence

Around 1993, it was proposed that the name of the organisation be changed from the Rand Water Board to Rand Water, since referring to the organisation as ‘the Board’ led to confusion. ‘Rand Water’ was also perceived to be a more modern name. The existing heraldic devices of the Board were maintained.

At the meeting of the Board held on 30 May 1985, the decision was made to relocate the Board’s Head Offices to Portion 8 of the Farm Rietvlei, 522 Impala Road, Glenvista. The construction of the new Headquarter Buildings and ancillary works was awarded in October 1986. Due to delays in construction, the decision was made to move staff as the various phases were completed. The first staff members started moving in at the end of 1988 and the building was completed in mid-I989.

1993 Re-invention: Birth of Rand Water

1989 Rand Water Head Office at Rietvlei, Glenvista

Rand Water’s ZAR 1.709 billion Sustainability linked Bond completed in June 2021, has been selected as the winner of this year’s Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Africa Awards for Local Currency Sovereign, Supra & Agency Bond Deal of the Year. This Award makes Rand Water the first State Owned Entity to use a Sustainability link Bond in Africa. Since 2014, the Awards have recognised the most innovative and ground-breaking deals from Sovereign, Corporate and Financial Institution issures and borrowers. Rand Water’s commitment to support the Government in bringing good, safe and affordable water to everyone in our area of supply led to new services bringing water to areas such as Winterveld, Odi, Heilbron and further afield. For the first time, we could truly say that we were a service provider for all its peoples in its area of supply. In 1994, four million urban households had access to clean water with rural households standing at about 970 000. By 2003, more than 5.7 million urban households had clean water, while 1.7 households in the rural area had clean water. In one of the discussions between representatives of Rand Water and the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Kadar Asmal, shortly after the new government came into power, it was stated that although Rand Water did an outstanding job of providing water to the most urbanised part of South Africa, the water utility had paid scant attention to the plight of the people in the rural regions. The government’s accent on the poorest of the poor and the need also to secure for those South Africans a sense of diginity in the form of clean water became one of the first priorities of Rand Water.

The promulgation of the Water Services Act (1997) and the National Water Act (1998) changed the SA water supply scenario for good and forced Rand Water to review its core business and related responsibilities. In 1994 Minister Kader Asmal declared that access to 25 litres of clean water per day no further than 200 metre from a tap, should become a way of living.

1994 - New Legislation, New Challenges, New Responsibilities

1994 - Rand Water for all

Recognising a need to capacitate our future water engineers and technologists, Rand Water is instrumental in the establishment of the Rand Water Academy which uses a combination of theory and practical exposure to satisfy the demand for skilled professionals in the local water industry. The Rand Water Academy was unveiled on 12 October 2012.

2003- Expanding our Footprint

2012- Rand Water Academy

To our knowledge, the newly-built 210 Mℓ Vlakfontein Reservoir is the largest circular posttensioned reservoir in the world. Construction on the new cylindrical and circular reservoir at the Vlakfontein site was unveiled on 17 February, 2023. Considered a design marvel, the newly built reservoir adds to Vlakfontein’s existing 420 Mℓ reservoir, bringing the site’s total capacity to 630 Mℓ, enabling a 24-hour capaciy should there be any pumping challenges or power outages.

2021- Bonds Loans Africa

2023- Vlakfontein Reservoir

Rand Water’s growth over the past 120 years has been phenomenal. • At the turn of the 20th century-population in need of water: 102 000 and the area of supply approximately 900 Km2 • By 2023 Rand Water is the largest water utility in Africa existing for 120 years • Distribution network over 3 500km of large diameter pipeline • Feeding 60 strategically located service reservoirs • Supplied an average of 4 443 Mℓ/d of potable water with peakday demand of 5 069 Mℓ/d

• Area of supply: above 37 000 superscript Km2 • Total of over 16 million consumers supplied

1923 Birth of Vereeniging Pumping Station Still growing