Water Crisis
latest news & developments
SAHRC warns Gauteng water crisis is about failing infrastructure, not a lack of water
A landmark SAHRC inquiry reveals that Gauteng's severe water outages stem from collapsing municipal infrastructure, massive leaks, and systemic institutional failures rather than…
No safe water, no other choice in Bronkhorstspruit
Over 800 people have fallen ill in Bronkhorstspruit after the local water treatment plant supplied unchlorinated water for three weeks, forcing desperate residents to collect…
Editorial: You can’t sweet-talk a dry tap
As municipal dysfunction and severe water shortages plague communities across South Africa, fed-up voters head into local government elections ready to punish failing leadership…
Water is a basic right – vote to defend it
Failing municipal infrastructure and contaminated taps are turning South Africa's water crisis into a violation of basic human rights. As local elections approach, voters must…
Johannesburg water outages put service delivery in election spotlight
Prolonged water outages in Johannesburg suburbs like Parktown West are pushing residents to the brink and placing deteriorating infrastructure and municipal accountability at the…
Bronkhorstspruit crisis highlights SA’s water service failures
The SAHRC and Wits have launched the Water Rights Tracker, revealing that 107 of South Africa's 144 water services authorities are in a poor or critical state as infrastructure…
Rand Water to restrict water supply to Johannesburg and Tshwane
Rand Water has confirmed it will restrict bulk water supplies to Johannesburg and Tshwane after both metros continuously exceeded their daily consumption allocations.
Municipalities must pay for water failures
After supplying unchlorinated tap water for weeks in Bronkhorstspruit, leading to hundreds of gastrointestinal illness cases, the City of Tshwane must face accountability for its…
Tshwane admits negligence after 408 fall ill in Bronkhorstspruit
The City of Tshwane has admitted negligence after supplying unchlorinated water from the sewage-polluted Bronkhorstspruit River for three weeks without warning residents, leaving…
Komani’s water crisis: When a public failure becomes private business
As taps repeatedly run dry in Komani, residents are asking uncomfortable questions about whether failing infrastructure is being sustained to enrich private water tanker…
Ermelo braces for another Day Zero
Ermelo is bracing for an acute drinking water shortage within months as severe mining and sewage pollution, aging infrastructure, and looming El Niño conditions push the…
We are ready to turn the president’s National Water Action Plan into results
Deputy Minister David Mahlobo addresses public skepticism surrounding the National Water Action Plan, outlining the critical state of South Africa's water infrastructure and the…
South Africa's new water plan welcomed but experts warn implementation will determine success
South Africa's new National Water Action Plan proposes a significant overhaul of municipal water services to address the country's water crisis. While welcomed by experts, its…
Tardy Mogale City scurries to fix leak
Mogale City faces a severe water crisis due to persistent leaks, wasting millions of litres and taxpayer money. Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Jack Bloom has intervened,…
Ratanda water protest deaths a tragic result of poor governance
Two tragic deaths in Ratanda, a township south of Heidelburg, during a service delivery protest over water supply have sparked outrage and calls for reflection on South Africa's…