Dr Esper Jacobeth Ncube has been with the Water industry for the past 27 years. She is a registered Professional Natural Scientist in Water Resources and Chemical Sciences.

Dr Ncube has a PhD in Public Health (UP), MSc in Water Utilisation (UP), BSc (Hons) Water Utilization (UP), BSc (Hons) in Chemistry (UCT), BSc In Chemical Sciences Education (Cuba), Project Management (NWU), Management Advanced Programme (WITs) and Master of Business Leadership (UNISA).

She has 34 years of work experience (27 years in the Water industry being actively involved in water and sanitation mainly focusing on water resources management, water quality assurance, research and development, water treatment and public health protection. She has held various Management positions in the National Department of Water Affairs and Rand Water since 1997. She is currently employed by Rand Water as Manager Process Technology a position she has held since 2011 and for which she is accountable for the selection of best fit technologies for water treatment, process investigation and optimisation. She has presented over 75 papers at national and international conferences since 1998 on fluoridation in water, selection and prioritisation protocols for drinking water quality monitoring, disinfection methods, disinfection by-products, water borne diseases, emerging contaminants of concern and water reuse. She has supervised postgraduate research in these areas since 2011. She has successfully supervised and graduated 7 PhD students, 8 Masters students and a Postdoctoral Fellow. She has published articles peer-reviewed journals in water chemistry, water microbiology and environmental health, with the effort of making the world appreciate the link between water, sanitation, hygiene and public health. Areas of publication also include water and wastewater quality assurance tools, frameworks and protocols.

She is a Senior Fellow of WISA and Co-founder of the WISA Reuse Division established in 2013.

Has served as the Chairperson of the WISA Water Reuse Division for more than 5 years

Recipient of the Continental Lifetime Achiever Award representing South Africa for Capacity Building in the Water Industry.

Chairperson of the SABS TC 0224 for drinking water and wastewater systems

Member of the SABS TC 0147 for drinking water quality

Member of the Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA)

Associate Member of the South African Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE)

Member of the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA)

Member of the Education Association of South Africa (EASA)

Member of the International Water Association (IWA) and Specialist Groups. She has been instrumental in chairing sessions and reviewing abstracts for the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition (WWCE) since 2022.

Member of the Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA). She currently mentors and coaches Water industry personnel for utilities across the continent and beyond. She is also a member of the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN).

Chairperson of the Tshwane University of Technology Advisory Committee for Water Care

Member of the University of South Africa (UNISA) iNanoWS Advisory Board

Member of the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA). She is a member of its Strategic and Technical Council and has reviewed papers for the STC Meetings and the AfWASA International Congress and Exhibition.

Dr Ncube has served as a reference group and research team member for the Water Research Commission across disciplines since 1998.

She has been instrumental in coordinating research, development and innovation with institutes of higher learning at a national and international level since