Johannesburg Water, in partnership with Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, is strengthening its partnership with community development workers to promote responsible water use and encourage positive behavioural change across communities.

Johannesburg Water recently hosted a Water Conservation Behavioural Change Workshop for community development workers, bringing together key stakeholders to explore practical ways of protecting the City of Johannesburg’s precious water resources and infrastructure.

The workshop highlighted the role of government in water conservation and the need  for government, community development workers, and communities to work together to safeguard Johannesburg’s water infrastructure. By building stronger partnerships at community level, stakeholders can help residents understand the value of water and take practical steps to use it responsibly.

A key focus of the engagement was working together to change water-use behaviour.

The workshop recognised that water conservation is not only about infrastructure and service delivery, but also about social development, community participation, and encouraging lasting behavioural change.

The session highlighted how community development workers can become important ambassadors for water conservation by taking the message directly into communities, encouraging participation and helping households adopt simple, sustainable water-saving practices.

Part of the information shared also included practical tips and commitments that communties can adopt to make a meaningful difference. These include fixing onproperty leaks, using water sparingly, avoiding unnecessary wastage, reporting water leaks promptly, and encouraging neighbours and fellow community members to protect public water infrastructure.

Johannesburg Water Stakeholder Relations Manager Bonginkosi Xaba said the workshop is an important step towards strengthening the organisation’s water conservation outreach.

“Through the workshop, Johannesburg Water seeks to capacitate our community development workers stakeholders to be able to spread the water conservation message, and educate our communities,” said Xaba.

The initiative demonstrates the power of partnership: When government and communities work together, behavioural change becomes possible — and every community can play a role in conserving Johannesburg’s most valuable resource.