SA's water crisis reflects governance failures

Today's crises are not only environmental but also largely human-made

- ANJA DU PLESSIS

IN A COUNTRY where access to water is a constitutional right, South Africans are increasingly finding themselves at the mercy of dry taps, leaking and bursting pipes, and failing infrastructure - creating localised water crises.

Behind the localised water crisis lies a story of growing deliberate sabotage, entrenched corruption, and systemic neglect. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), in its recent policy brief, paints a grim picture of how "water mafias", vandalism, and institutional failures have combined to erode both the country's water systems and public trust.

While South Africa is a water-scarce country, today's crises are not only environmental but also largely human-made. Profits are made through the sabotaging of water infrastructure - vandalism, theft - leaving residents high and dry with buckets and containers, while money overflows in theirs.

According to the latest statistics, 77.1% of households have access to an improved water source (2024) - down from 80.4% in 2023. For many communities, even this access is unreliable or nonexistent for months due to theft, non-functioning infrastructure, and even failure to deliver water tanks.

The dire state of water access and actual delivery of water supply is evident within numerous provinces around the country, especially small towns and rural areas. Many report water outages or interruptions lasting longer than two days. Some in the City of Johannesburg have gone without water for weeks with poor communication regarding the location of stationary or roaming water tankers. For a nation with the infrastructure and resources to do better, this regression is deeply concerning.