The Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA) has announced the programme for its 2026 conference, which takes place in Durban next month.
The topics on the agenda include some of the most urgent challenges facing local government in South Africa, including water security, flooding, informal settlements, infrastructure resilience, procurement and technical capacity. IMESA urges all industry stakeholders – including engineers, municipal leaders, academics and private sector partners – to attend the event.
The timing of this year’s 89th annual IMESA Conference and Exhibition could not be more critical, the institute says. South Africa’s water infrastructure is under severe strain. Of 144 Water Services Authorities (WSAs) assessed nationally, 107 were rated poor or critical in terms of their drinking water systems, while 81% of municipal wastewater infrastructure was assessed as being in a poor or critical condition. Non-revenue water averages 47%, representing a massive loss of treated water before it generates revenue. Against this backdrop, the IMESA Conference will examine practical approaches to strengthening municipal water and sanitation services and improving water security in stressed communities.
Climate resilience is another important theme running through the programme, with presentations exploring affordable forecasting systems, improved design practices and the ability of cities to respond effectively when extreme weather strikes. A dedicated panel discussion will examine how cities can rethink disaster response when they come under increasing pressure. With catastrophic flooding in Limpopo and Mpumalanga earlier this year having claimed lives and destroyed homes and critical infrastructure, it is essential that we focus our attention on South Africa’s vulnerability to extreme weather, IMESA states.
The conference will also explore how municipalities can respond to rapid urban densification and informal settlement growth, harness digital technologies and drones to improve infrastructure management, and strengthen the technical and organisational capacity needed to deliver public infrastructure effectively. Drone technology has the potential to advance water and sanitation management. IMESA stresses that municipalities must move beyond fragmented digital initiatives, noting that digital tools can deliver better visibility and data on infrastructure condition, failures and service networks, to help municipalities prioritise maintenance and investment.
The focus on procurement at the conference is particularly timely as municipalities face scrutiny over irregular expenditure and tenders, project delays, cost escalation, contractor appointments and the inability to translate capital budgets into functioning infrastructure.
Sustainability is in the spotlight, too, with discussions around recycled and alternative construction materials, particularly for low-cost housing; sustainable riverbank protection; and the long-term management of municipal landfill capacity.
With municipalities under pressure to deliver more with limited resources, the 2026 IMESA Conference and Exhibition provides a vital platform for the engineering profession and local government stakeholders and role players to learn, share knowledge and network. This year’s theme, “Blueprints Reimagined Judiciously”, reflects the imperative in today’s widely troubled municipalities to take existing plans, standards and long‑established methods of designing public infrastructure and rethink them, IMESA says. “We must refine and adapt traditional methods and integrate new technologies, smarter planning and collaborative approaches to meet today’s local government and service delivery realities.”
The IMESA Conference & Exhibition takes place at the ICC in Durban from 28 to 30 October 2026. To find out more, to view the full programme or to register to attend the event, visit https://conference.imesa.org.za/ or email