April 16
South Africa: UPL's Cleaned Up Water Is 'Safe to Drink' ... but Not for Their Main Consultant, Thanks
Global agrochemicals producer UPL has applied for permission to pre-treat chemically contaminated stormwater before releasing it into a river that flows into the sea next to… Read more »
South Africa: Angry Polokwane, Seshego Residents Up in Arms Over Water Shortages As Critical Elections Loom
Residents are feeling the pinch as taps run dry in Limpopo's capital and in its biggest township. Read more »
April 01
South Africa: South Africa's Multiple Water Crises Cannot Be Resolved By Technical Solutions Alone
Sixty-four percent of the country's sewage and wastewater treatment plants are at 'high or critical' risk of dumping untreated water into rivers and the environment. Read more »
March 19
South Africa: Soweto Residents Scrounge for Water Amid Continuing City of Joburg Crisis
The City of Johannesburg's water catastrophe has dragged on for almost three weeks, and Soweto residents say the situation is dire. Read more »
South Africa: How Eastern Cape Women Collect Water
Twenty years ago, the hope for potable water in villages near Port St Johns was sky-high after the municipality provided communal taps -- but for the past seven years, the taps… Read more »
March 10
South Africa: Full of Holes - - the Leaky Water Bill Won't Solve SA's Service Delivery Crisis
The National Water and Services Amendment Bill prioritises stricter regulations and fines, but what good are these when millions lack access to clean, running water? These… Read more »
February 20
South Africa: Stemming the Tide - Senzo Mchunu Battles Ongoing Water Crisis While Confronting His Party
The provision of potable water could soon be a political issue comparable to load shedding. While some of the problems appear insurmountable, there is evidence that Minister of… Read more »
December 28, 2023
South Africa: Environmental Champ of the Year - Civil Justice Activist Ferrial Adam
The executive manager of WaterCAN is turning the tide on water security in South Africa. Read more »
December 12, 2023
South Africa: Cholera Case Confirmed in Nelson Mandela Bay - Sewage Spill May Be the Cause
A case of cholera has been confirmed in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro and while the municipality insisted that the drinking water is safe, it said on Monday that the affected woman… Read more »
December 05, 2023
South Africa: Official Reports Reveal Massive Scale of Country's Water Crisis
Three separate audit reports have laid bare how one of the country's most precious resources is being fouled by sewage and other effluents, wasted through pipe leakages or… Read more »
December 03, 2023
South Africa: Cape Town Set to Purify Treated Sewage Water for Drinking Purposes
The City of Cape Town is trying to reduce reliance on rainfall by implementing water reuse and reclamation technologies. This comes as mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis warns of a risk that… Read more »
November 20, 2023
South Africa: 'Mister President, Our Biggest Problem Here Is Water,' Hammanskraal Residents Tell Ramaphosa
Parched community members urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to fix water the ongoing supply issues in the area. Read more »
November 14, 2023
South Africa: 'No Ongoing Crisis,' Says City of Tshwane, Even Though Hammanskraal Tap Water Still Unfit for Drinking
In the aftermath of the cholera outbreak in May centred on Hammanskraal that claimed more than 20 lives, there are lingering concerns about the quality of water supplied to the… Read more »
November 02, 2023
South Africa: Joburg Councillors Heckle As Bid to Tackle Water Crisis Meets Vehement Opposition
The Johannesburg Metro Council has approved a motion to conduct research on alternative water sources to decrease reliance on Johannesburg Water as residents have battled water… Read more »
October 24, 2023
South Africa: R20 Billion or 20 Years - What a Single Rural Municipality Needs to Provide Water to Residents
Protesters from communities across the Eastern Cape have promised 'harsher action' if their objections about the lack of water services, poor quality of water and high water bills… Read more »
October 19, 2023
South Africa: Govt Owes Johannesburg Water U.S.$33 Million - While 140 Water Pipes Burst Each Day
Joburg is cutting off water and electricity in poor areas and nursing homes, and enforcing outstanding payments at roadblocks while government departments owe hundreds of millions… Read more »
October 10, 2023
South Africa: Johannesburg Water Touts Supply Improvements Yet No Word On End to Crisis for Parched Residents
The utility has outlined plans to tackle infrastructure upgrades and plug leaks but has urged Joburgers to reduce consumption further. Read more »
September 27, 2023
South Africa: Water Crisis - Johannesburg Is the Next Eskom If We Don't Act Now
Johannesburg's water supply needs to be recognised for the emergency it is: the country doesn't have R20-billion for an immediate fix, but putting the right people in place can put… Read more »
September 26, 2023
South Africa: Joburg Residents, Businesses - and Councillors - Feel Abandoned in Endless Water Crisis
Johannesburg residents and businesses are battling under the strain of the protracted water crisis, which has left them feeling abandoned by the Metro. Read more »
September 25, 2023
South Africa: Minister Slams Absentee Johannesburg Mayor After Two-Thirds of the City Hit By Water Cuts
Johannesburg residents should brace for a tough summer as Rand Water implements water shedding, councillors have warned. Read more »
September 22, 2023
South Africa: Cape Town Opens New Public Participation Process On Historic Pumping of Sewage Into the Ocean
Following complaints over a 2015 public participation process on Cape Town's pumping of sewage into the ocean, the City is once again taking public comments on the controversial… Read more »
September 20, 2023
South Africa: Commission Warns of Water Supply 'Disaster' in KwaZuluy-Natal Unless Municipalities Tackle Maintenance, Corruption
The commission's warning serves as a further wake-up call to municipalities and water utilities over the crumbling state of water supply and reticulation in several parts of the… Read more »
September 17, 2023
South Africa: Johannesburg Hospitals Struggle to Keep Wards Clean in Ongoing Water Crisis
On Sunday afternoon, 17 September 2023, relatives of patients brought water in bottles along with food for their loved ones admitted to the Helen Joseph Hospital in Auckland Park… Read more »
South Africa: Nonprofit Organisation Leads the Charge to Flush Pit Latrines Out of Schools
Breadline Africa, in partnership with investment banker Mark Barnes, is raising R156-million to replace dangerous pit toilets at 240 schools in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. Read more »
August 23, 2023
South Africa: Rapidly Worsening Ecological Condition of Dams is Likely to Eclipse Rolling Blackouts
In the absence of a well-funded, properly informed and cohesive strategic plan for South African reservoir limnology, misinformation will remain a problem, old findings will be… Read more »