In this edition of SPII talk, in the context of the Reports launched by SPII concerning Water and Sanitation and a Healthy Environment in September, we explore what our work really means on the ground. With a personal account of the “inter-sectional nature of poverty” by Soweto academic Mawethu Nkosana and a closer look at the various implications of our latest Reports, we discuss the various manifestations of the denial of significant rights, what has been done so far to remedy and what we have to look forward to with instruments like ICESCR, BIG and a national minimum wage.