August 10, 2023
South Africa: Millions of Litres of Poo a Day Never Even Reach SA's Failing, Underserviced Sewage Plants
A significant portion of our untreated sewage never even gets to our sewage plants. It goes straight into streams, rivers, dams, groundwater, and ultimately the ocean -- untreated… Read more »
July 26, 2023
South Africa: Cholera Outbreak 'Represents Ears of Hippopotamus' of Wastewater Treatment Crisis
While an independent assessment by the Water Resource Commission can't identify the source of the recent cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, the investigation highlights a much… Read more »
July 12, 2023
South Africa: More Water Tankers Deployed in Joburg Amid Scheduled Water System Shutdown This Week
Halfway through Johannesburg's 58-hour shutdown of a significant chunk of its water system, water towers and reservoirs in some suburbs are critically low or already empty, with… Read more »
July 06, 2023
South Africa: Mpumalanga Highveld's Deadly Air About to Become Even Deadlier As Kusile SO2 Bypass Gets Green Light
An additional 674 human beings are projected to die if the Kusile bypass is operational until the end of March 2025. The deaths are attributed to an increased risk of stroke,… Read more »
July 03, 2023
South Africa: Suspect in Court After Hawks Make Breakthrough On Theft of 51 Rhino Horns From North West Parks Board
A 40-year-old man has appeared in the Mmabatho Magistrates' Court for the theft of 51 rhino horns from the North West Parks Board last week. Police say more arrests are imminent. Read more »
July 02, 2023
South Africa: Leave Coal in the Hole and Oil in the Soil, Warns Top Climate Scientist
Forget about climate geoengineering, says Professor Debra Roberts, just leave fossil fuels in the ground. Read more »
June 29, 2023
South Africa: What We Know About the 'Landspout' That Tore Through Parts of Kwazulu-Natal
Has the term 'landspout' got you baffled? We break down the tornado-like phenomenon that ripped through KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) on Tuesday afternoon. Read more »
June 28, 2023
South Africa: 'One Moment I Was Inside a House, the Next Moment I Was Outside'
Seven people were reported missing and at least 150 victims registered their homes as being destroyed in Tuesday's devastating tornado in KZN, while community members began to pick… Read more »
South Africa: Brutal Cold Snap Confronts Country As Forecasters Issue Snow, Thunderstorm Warnings
KwaZulu-Natal is on alert following strong winds resembling a tornado ripping through Inanda and surrounding areas, and the South African Weather Service has warned of frigid… Read more »
June 27, 2023
South Africa: Western Cape Rainfall This Year Is Breaking Records
Scientists say the heavy rains that have been hammering the Western Cape in recent weeks are 'at least as rare as one-in-20 to one-in-100 years'. Read more »
June 26, 2023
South Africa: Sanral's Need for Speed Rides Roughshod Over Xolobeni/Amadiba Community's Land
The Amadiba Crisis Committee has urged Sanral to reroute the new N2 Wild Coast toll road that will cut through their land and harm ecotourism potential. So far, their pleas have… Read more »
South Africa: Hefty Sentences for Rhino Poachers After New Wildlife Trafficking Strategy Starts to Bite
The recent sentencing of six Zimbabweans -- members of the so-called Chitiyo Rhino Poaching Gang -- to prison terms ranging from 16 to 20 years suggests that authorities are slowly… Read more »
June 25, 2023
South Africa: Mpumalanga Municipality Fined R70m for Vaal River Sewage Pollution
The Lekwa Local Municipality was fined R70m for failing to stop sewage from flowing into the Vaal River. The penalty is among the highest on record in SA for an environmental crime Read more »
June 22, 2023
South Africa: Makana Mayor Confident There Will Be Water, As National Arts Festival Kicks Off
Makana Local Municipality mayor Yandiswa Vara is certain there will be enough water for those attending the National Arts Festival starting on Friday in Makhanda (formerly… Read more »
South Africa: Grid Capacity Constraints Jeopardise Some Renewable Energy Projects
As South Africa ramps up its roll-out of renewable energy, it is now confronting the same challenge faced by countries across the globe. Depleted grid capacity in resource-rich… Read more »
South Africa: Appeal to Declare Citrusdal a Disaster Area Amid Warning of More Rain
More than 20 communities remain cut off from the rest of the Western Cape following the heavy rains, while a helicopter had to be used to deliver food. Read more »
June 20, 2023
South Africa: SA Launches $1bn Green Hydrogen Fund With Netherlands, Denmark to Tackle Climate Crisis
The SA-H2 fund is seeded by an initial $250m from Invest International, and aims to capitalise on South Africa's wind and solar resources to mitigate the impacts of the climate… Read more »
South Africa: Simplest Solution to Cholera Crisis Is Fixing Our Broken Sewerage Systems
What we learn from the history of cholera is that resistance to implementing fundamental human health management practices, first learnt in London in the 1800s, costs human lives. Read more »
June 19, 2023
South Africa: Amatola Water Vows to Pull Out All Stops to Keep Makhanda Water On for National Arts Festival
The Amatola Water Board has promised to do its best to keep the water on during the arts festival that takes place in Makhanda in July. The town, home to Rhodes University and the… Read more »
June 07, 2023
South Africa: SA Scientists Concerned As Marine Taxonomists Become an Increasingly Endangered Species
South Africa hosts an abundance of marine species, but there are not enough taxonomists to support the effective management and protection of our rich marine biodiversity. Read more »
South Africa: Top Scientists Present Action Plan to Fight Nationwide Cholera Outbreak
The Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies says the loss of lives to cholera in Hammanskraal is symptomatic of a widening collapse of water treatment facilities that could… Read more »
South Africa: Water Pressure Restored At Helen Joseph Hospital but Senior Clinician Voices Healthcare Concerns
The water supply at the hospital in Johannesburg has been resorted following low water pressure since Thursday, 1 June. A senior clinician at the hospital described the situation… Read more »
June 04, 2023
South Africa: As El Niño Looms, South Africa - Including the Southwest - Looks Set for a Wet Winter
The latest monthly Seasonal Climate Watch issued by the SA Weather Service now forecasts above-normal rainfall across most of the country. This includes the southwest, which… Read more »
June 01, 2023
South Africa: Saldanha Harbour Powerships Plan 'Fatally Flawed', Says Environmental Affairs
The department of environmental affairs said Karpowership's environmental impact assessment application for Saldanha was deemed to have been withdrawn and the application was now… Read more »
May 30, 2023
South Africa: SA Officials in Paris to Negotiate a Legally Binding Global Plastic Treaty
The second meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution kicked off in Paris on Monday. Read more »