Overview

The WISA Biennial Conference and Exhibition is the flagship gathering of the Water Institute of Southern Africa, bringing together professionals, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders from across the water sector. The 2026 edition is one of the largest and most influential gatherings in the Southern African water sector, uniting government representatives, engineers, academics, municipalities, utilities, technology providers, and international delegates to address the region’s most pressing water challenges. The conference is a CPD-accredited event and serves as the premier knowledge-sharing and networking platform for the water community in Southern Africa and beyond.

Water infrastructure and its integration into the built environment are central concerns for contemporary architecture and urban design. Explore related themes on ArchUp Architecture.

Focus

The theme of the 2026 conference is “Rethink Amanzi: Securing Our Future,” a call for a fundamental shift in how water is valued, governed, financed, used, treated, and safeguarded. The event responds to the convergence of critical pressures facing water systems across Southern Africa, including aging infrastructure, rising demand, pollution, climate variability, political uncertainty affecting public institutions, and deeply rooted inequities in access to safe water and sanitation. The conference calls on water sector professionals to rethink existing approaches, expand research, and engage in bold debate on future action.

Highlights

The 2026 edition features a rich programme across three days. Delegates can expect daily keynote addresses from leading local and international speakers, a wide range of parallel technical sessions and presentations, innovative workshops, and a dynamic exhibition floor showcasing the latest technologies and solutions shaping the future of water management. The event also offers extensive networking opportunities designed to foster stakeholder engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and industry visibility. A dedicated exhibition provides companies with a platform to present innovations across all facets of the water sector. The conference is expected to attract more than 2,000 delegates from national, provincial, and local government, the private sector, academia, NGOs, water boards, utilities, and international organisations.

Audience

WISA 2026 welcomes professionals from all spheres of the water sector, from process controllers and plant operators to professors, policy architects, and engineers. Municipal representatives, water utility managers, environmental scientists, public health practitioners, technology developers, and sustainability advocates are all part of the target audience. The event is equally relevant for international water professionals with a keen interest in the Southern African region, as well as academics and innovators working on wastewater management, water resilience, and sustainable infrastructure solutions.

Event Details

Dates: 22 to 24 July 2026

Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town, South Africa

Theme: Rethink Amanzi: Securing Our Future

Organizer: Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA)

Format: Conference, Exhibition, Keynote Addresses, Technical Sessions, Workshops, Networking

Accreditation: CPD-accredited event

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The theme “Rethink Amanzi: Securing Our Future” is more than a conference slogan — it is an urgent call to action that resonates deeply with the built environment professions. Architecture and urban design cannot be separated from the water systems that sustain cities; every building, public space, and urban masterplan depends on the availability, quality, and governance of water. Southern Africa’s convergence of aging infrastructure, climate disruption, and inequitable access makes this conversation especially pressing for architects and urban designers working in the region. The decision to frame the conference around rethinking rather than merely optimizing signals a maturity in how the sector views its own limitations. For the design community, this is a reminder that sustainable architecture is not only about energy efficiency or material choice — it is equally about how buildings interact with water cycles, how cities plan for scarcity, and how design can contribute to equitable access to one of humanity’s most fundamental resources.

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