How corruption and vandalism drain SA's water system

BROKEN SYSTEM

- PROF 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 these crises lies a story of growing deliberate sabotage, entrenched corruption and systemic neglect.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) paints a grim picture of how “water mafias”, vandalism and institutional failures have combined to erode the country’s water systems and public trust.

Profits are made through the sabotaging of water infrastructure, vandalism, theft, leaving residents high and dry with buckets and container, while money overflows in theirs.