This document summarizes a presentation on water governance in South Africa. It discusses tensions between viewing water as a human right versus an economic good, and between public vs. private water provision. It outlines South Africa's major water reforms in the late 1990s that enshrined water access as a human right. However, court cases later narrowed the definition of basic water needs. There are also challenges in clearly defining responsibilities across rural and urban water services given complex governance arrangements. The document calls for redefining needs, rights and responsibilities in a way that better reflects people's realities and promotes sustainable services.