The National Water Act No. 36 of 1998 fundamentally reshaped South Africa's water resource governance, establishing water as a scarce national resource under the public trusteeship of the national government (Viljoen & Walt, 2018). This legislative framework replaced previous systems that linked water access to land ownership, thereby promoting equitable distribution, sustainable management, and conservation of this vital resource. Amended procedural requirements for water use licence applications have been drafted and published. Some proposals are positive, although some will be onerous. For instance, the 300-day process was the previous, standard timeframe for the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in South Africa to process a Water Use Licence Application (WULA), while the 90-day process is the current, revised target aimed at accelerating development and economic recovery. While on the flip side, the Act's provisions particularly Chapter 11, Section 109, which mandates environmental impact assessments for government water works, and Chapter 12, focusing on dam safety, imply comprehensive data collection on hydrological conditions, geological stability, and structural integrity to ensure the safety and functionality of water infrastructure even if not explicitly detailed and to a lesser but still important degree the implication of small agricultural holders to potentially carry out geohydrological surveys for authorisation for borehole abstraction under Section 21(a). On 19 May 2023, the Minister of Water and Sanitation published draft regulations that will amend the procedural requirements for water use licence applications to replace the Water Use Licence Application and Appeals Regulation of 2017. A reduction of the 300-day timeframe for processing WULAs to 90 days in effect requires more thorough upfront preparation by applicants to ensure complete submissions for faster approval. The 90 days refer to the period for the Department to make a decision once an application is deemed complete. In practice, DWS currently finalises 62% of the applications within 90 days with a target of 80% as per Annual Performance Plan: 2023/24 to 2025/26 | Vote 41: Department of Water and Sanitation siting intervention such as filling vacant posts and reducing downtime of the electronic water use licence application and authorisation (e-WULAAS) system where all applications are made. Eternal Link: https://www.dws.gov.za/ewulaas/WUL.aspx#:~:text=An%20application%20for%20a%20water,nation%2C%20and%20its%20possible%20impacts. By: Maugana. R (Nat. Sct) Date: 13 January 2026 Disclaimer This information is provided as a general resource and does not substitute for professional legal or expert counsel. While we aim to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we cannot warrant its absolute reliability. Any use of this information is at your own risk, and we disclaim all liability for any resulting loss or damage. © Copyright Yingwe Projects. All Rights reserved