(MENAFN- News.Africa-Wire) JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, November 6, 2025/ -- The multifaceted challenges of water management, governance and infrastructure financing were robustly addressed in a dynamic Turning risk into resilience – Spotlighting C&I Projects tackling ’A’s biggest water challenges session at the recent Water Security Africa Johannesburg conference (, co-located with C&I Energy+Storage Summit, featuring leaders from mining, engineering and digital innovation sectors. Discussions covered visionary planning, on-the-ground implementation and transformative financing tools, yielding fresh perspectives on water security for both private and public operators.

Harmony ’old’s roadmap: operational vision for water resiliency

Thigesh Vather, Senior Environment Officer-Water (Sustainable Development Department) Harmony Gold, opened the session by outlining the’gr“up’s “water ambiti”— roadmap”—a strategic framework designed to drive improved communication, accountability and performance measurement in water management. With operations across South Africa, Australia and Papua New Guinea, Harmony faces the universal mining challenge: water- and energy-intense production with heightened resource risk.

Their approach targets not only operational efficiency but also sustainability, emphasizing reduction in potable water dependency and elevated recycling rates. Critical investments include installing several reverse osmosis (RO) plants, collectively treating over 20 mega litres daily and offsetting considerable reliance on external supplies. A blend of clear metrics, such as tracking potable water dependency as a percent of total use and a focus on asset lifecycle risk (including mine closure and acquisition impacts) underline a forward-thinking strategy. Notably, from 2016 to 2024, Harmony achieved a substantial decrease in potable wa—er dependency—primarily via recycling and sophisticated RO deployment.

Digital water governance: Innovation meets opportunity

Benoit Le Roux, co-founder of the South African Water Chamber, delivered a compelling presentation detailing the transformative potential of digital tools and market instruments for water governance. He highlighted two central threats: widespread water loss (non-revenue water) and pers—stent pollution—problems compounded by aging infrastructure and governance gaps.

Le Roux emphasized how digital transformation, using IoT sensors, big data analytics and distributed ledger (blockchain) systems, brings real-time transparency to both water systems and financing. Through tokenisation—the conversion of water savings or mitigation actions into secure, blockchain-base“ “digital as”—ts”—water performance can be audited, traded and used to attract new investment. This model, proven in the US and Australia, holds promise for countries like South Africa where traditional municipal finances are constrained and “equire “”e-risking” to attract pension funds and bond issuers.

The creation of ring-fenced, project-based entities (special purpose vehicles) ensures investments directly support tangible infrastructure, rather than vanishing into broader government coffers. Transparent digital markets and protocols allow for performance tracking, incentivizing both improved compliance and stakeholder trust.

Bridging Public-Private gaps: Stakeholder engagement and PPP models

The session also saw industry experts from mining and academia raise nuances around operational resilience, regulatory shifts and stakeholder engagement. Thiara Ratshibvumo, Environmental Manager, South Deep Gold Mine discussed the build-own-operate funding model for —ater plants—a contract structure where private operators build, finance and run assets, while the mine pays for actual water processed. This reduces up-front capital demands and operational risk for the mining company, providing flexibility and resilience in a volatile operating landscape.

Panellists underscored the importance of aligning water management with catchment requirements, climate resilience and co—munity impact—factors that are drawing increasing investor scrutiny. The incorporation of digital performance measurement, contractual guarantees and transparent reporting is equipping the private sector and PPPs to better attract and manage blended infrastructure funding.

Towards a new water investment paradigm

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.
About the C&I Energy+Storage Summit:
In its second year, the C&I Summit is a platform to unlock investment and speed up localisation, helping South Africa's energy-intensive sectors build resilience through innovation and resource security. Water Security Africa is co-located with C&I Energy+ Storage Summit.

About ESI Africa:
Africa’s leading power and energy journal is positioned as an impartial industry mouthpiece, delivering the latest technical developments, breaking news and analysis in both print and digital formats, on the web portal as well as YouTube channel @ ESIAfrica V ( ESI Africa is the proud Host Media Partner of the C&I Energy+Storage Summit.

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