In Umgeni Water's area of supply only about 60 percent of the population have access to a safe supply of water and a lesser percentage have adequate sanitation facilities. This paper presents the work Umgeni Water has been undertaking in its area of supply, over the last ten years in an attempt to address the issue of the provision of a safe water supply to those who do not have access to this essential service and lately to address the issue of the provision of adequate sanitation facilities. Generally in South Africa people living in rural areas have no local or regional authority that provides essential services. They also have no say in decision making processes. Umgeni Water has been trying to involve residents in decision making process, initially by providing safe water. A six-stage process has developed to involve local communities in the development of water supply. Various management and financing or customer payment models are used depending on the characteristics of the community. Recently Umgeni has had a breakthrough convincing rural people of the need for proper sanitation facilities through community and youth education. In addition to Umgeni's efforts to "sell" local residents the idea of safe water and sanitation, the author briefly discusses the organization's long-term planning in this area.