To mark International Women’s Day, WISA’s KwaZulu-Natal branch hosted a hike to Msinsi Nagle Dam, raising awareness of water sector challenges and providing a platform for women in the industry and community to share knowledge and highlight their role in delivering sustainable water solutions.

There was a wide variety of participants, such as women in a biodiversity management and pollution control programme, a fire management programme, students from the Durban University of Technology, the South African Youth Parliament for Water, and private sector companies like Universal Water Solutions, Talbot, and AECI Water.

Trained staff from Msinsi Holdings hosted the walk and shared some information about the vegetation in the area. As a wholly owned subsidiary of the South African state entity, Umngeni uThukela Water Msinsi Holdings is tasked with managing the water resources around Umgeni Water owned or managed dams.

In addition to the hike, talks were held and group work was done on water issues, interventions and the role that women play with regards to water resource management, as well as economic opportunities in the sector.

The workshop provided insights into:

• The national water crisis and challenges in WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene)
• Roles and contributions of women in Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
• Opportunities and barriers in the water sector career pathways.

The guest speakers delivered impactful messages on policy support, empowerment strategies, and community development through gender-inclusive approaches.

This event would not have been possible without sponsors:

• Msinsi Holdings
• Umngeni uThukela Water
• Universal Water Solutions
• Borda South Africa
• Talbot.

Participants appreciated the physical and symbolic journey, which linked wellness with environmental stewardship.

Guest speakers, including representatives from BORDA SA and Msinsi Holdings, delivered impactful messages on policy support, empowerment strategies, and community development through gender-inclusive approaches.

“This was a great initiative that fostered environmental awareness, gender empowerment, and professional development. We engaged women in the sector on relevant sector challenges and inspired them to be key change agents in implementing plausible solutions. I also raised awareness on the current water resources challenges in our country which include water scarcity, mismanagement of water resources, water services interruptions and overall shortage of treated water to our communities,” says Mendy Shozi, co-ordination lead at the Kwa-Zulu Natal branch, WISA.