February 04, 2026

NOW Ep 120 | Water risk is business risk

26 minutes

Water scarcity is no longer a future risk. It is already reshaping how businesses operate, invest and grow in South Africa.

With water demand in Gauteng at record levels and ageing infrastructure under strain, water has become a material constraint on business continuity, supply chains and long-term competitiveness. For many companies, water security is now as critical as energy security.

In this episode of No Ordinary Wednesday, recorded after an Investec and Proparco water-resilience event, Jeremy Maggs is joined by Dr Sean Phillips, Director-General of the Department of Water and Sanitation; Helen Hulett, water-security advisor; and Melanie Humphries, Head of Sustainable Solutions at Investec.

Together, they discuss how water risk is moving from the margins of ESG into core business strategy, and what practical resilience looks like for South African companies navigating a water-stressed economy.

Key podcast moments:

01:55 - Why Gauteng’s water demand is reaching critical levels

02:57 – Why government is calling for a 40% reduction in water use

04:20 – How municipalities can fund infrastructure amid high non-revenue water

07:44 – How business understanding of water risk has evolved

09:07 – How South African businesses are responding to water risk

10:50 – What Gauteng’s realistic interim water plan looks like

14:21 – What data companies need to invest smartly in water resilience

15:44 – How companies can understand where their water comes from

16:38 – How businesses should think about the return on resilience investment

17:20 – What water solutions businesses are pursuing and where gaps remain

19:16 – How Investec supports technical partnerships on water resilience

19:59 – Where private sector involvement adds the most value

22:38 – What CEOs should stop and start doing about water risk

23:42 – What government needs most from business in the next five years

24:31 – Closing reflections on partnership and opportunity