# The Department of Water and Sanitation says the private sector can help fix South Africa’s municipal water crisis, but insists this is not water privatisation. Director-General Sean Phillips said private firms could assist with infrastructure, maintenance, and operations, but municipalities would remain in control. The National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency has been established to attract investment and improve service delivery. The move follows years of underinvestment, mismanagement, and water losses of up to 35-percent in some areas.