South Africa: Bronkhorstspruit Water Crisis Exposes a National Pattern of Municipal Failure and Impunity

The Bronkhorstspruit water crisis, which has sickened about 450 people, exposes deep-rooted failures in local government, poor oversight and a culture of non-accountability that… Read more »

South Africa: Moneybags Malema Promises NMB Free Water and Electricity, and Bigger RDP Houses

EFF president Julius Malema promised Nelson Mandela Bay residents free water and electricity, bigger RDP houses, more social grants and free school meals and uniforms - pledges… Read more »

South Africa: Kensington Businesses Suffer 70 Percent Decline As Joburg Water Rips Up Queen Street

A Kensington community group has been trying to revive the historic Joburg suburb, but residents and businesses have endured months of mud, dust and disrupted access as… Read more »

South Africa: 'Send Out the Plumbers and the Water Bills!' Deputy Minister Tells Leaky Councils

Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister Dr Jack Bloom has outlined plans to 'narrow the gap' between government promises and the delivery of water and sanitation services. But with… Read more »

South Africa: This Eastern Cape Town Only Gets Water for an Hour a Day

Kou-Kamma Local Municipality says it needs R210-million to upgrade and maintain water and sanitation infrastructure. Read more »

South Africa: No Relief in Sight in Makhanda's Decade-Long Struggle for Reliable Water

Upgrades to the water treatment plant to solve the crisis that started in 2015 are yet to be completed. Read more »

South Africa: More Champagne for a Few, No Water for All - SA's Water Tanker Disaster

South Africa's water crisis is no longer just about dry taps, but what happens when emergency measures become a permanent business model. Read more »

South Africa: Approved in the Dark - - the Hidden Environmental Toll of SA's Data Centre Boom

As South Africa's data centre boom accelerates, civil society groups are petitioning the SAHRC for strict regulation and transparency before unmonitored facilities strain local… Read more »

South Africa: Families Living in Joburg Stadium Trapped Among Rubbish and Rats

Years after being promised temporary shelter, hundreds of Johannesburg residents remain trapped in squalid conditions at Wembley Stadium with no clear path to permanent housing. Read more »

Southern Africa: Mpumalanga Breakdown - When Emergency Water Becomes the Permanent Supply

A weeks-long investigation into water tanker procurement and service delivery in Mpumalanga's Nkangala District reveals what happens when a temporary emergency measure becomes a… Read more »

South Africa: Nelson Mandela Bay Sewage Failure a 'Human Rights Crisis'

SA Human Rights Commission findings paint a troubling picture of beaches, rivers and wastewater systems under pressure, with serious questions raised about pollution, monitoring… Read more »

South Africa: Metro Trading Services Reform - A R54bn Gamble On Municipal and Utility Accountability

Can a R54bn fiscal intervention save South Africa's decomposing cities, or will this aggressive utility restructuring simply create new playgrounds for political corruption? This… Read more »

South Africa: Ethekwini Water Failures Leave Ward 105 Residents Dependent On Streams

Residents of eThekwini's rural Ward 105 say they have been without reliable municipal water since 2020, forcing families to rely on streams and costly water purchases despite… Read more »

South Africa: Two Giant Data Centres Secure Initial Green Light From Cape Town Municipal Tribunal

The building of two massive water-hungry and energy-hungry data centres next to Cape Town International Airport has cleared the first regulatory hurdle. Read more »

South Africa: Infamous Water Pump Is Now in Makhanda, but Accountability Is Missing

The Makana Local Municipality 'closes the chapter' on a saga that leaves questions about its officials' conduct. Read more »

South Africa: School Water and Sanitation Crisis Drags On As Dbe Balks At National Deadline

As many as 3,661 public schools nationwide still lack reliable water and decent sanitation, yet the national Department of Basic Education refuses to set a definitive eradication… Read more »

South Africa: South Africa Draws 66% of Its Irrigation Water From the Ground and It Is Running Out

Water levels in nearly one-third of the boreholes investigated in a recent global study are dropping steadily, mainly due to unsustainable pumping rates to irrigate crops or to… Read more »

South Africa: Day One of Gauteng Water Crisis Hearings 'Arms' SAHRC for a Grilling of Government

Gauteng residents and civil society organisations filled a conference room in the women's jail at Constitution Hill, setting the tone for the South African Human Rights… Read more »

South Africa: Ignored Warnings Led to Fuel Crisis in Nelson Mandela Bay Amid Flooding Chaos

Nelson Mandela Bay officials ignored two warnings about an expiring fuel contract, resulting in a crisis as the city faced severe flooding and emergency response delays. Read more »

South Africa: Dams Full, Taps Dry - How Nelson Mandela Bay Lost Control of Its Water

Large parts of Nelson Mandela Bay have been without water for up to 20 days, while teams scramble to restore electricity outages that have lasted for more than two weeks. Read more »

South Africa: Energy and Water Seta Blew R58m in Public Funds On Building That Was Never Used

More than R58-million in public funds has been lost on an unused building bought by the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority in 2014. Despite years of spending,… Read more »

South Africa: Dry Tap Reality - the Growing Water Infrastructure Crisis in SA

In all provinces in the country, unreliable supply, unsafe water and prolonged interruptions expose systemic failures and weak oversight. Read more »

South Africa: No Water At Ramaphosa's Soweto Family Home and Surrounds for Nearly a Week

For nearly seven days, taps in Chiawelo, Protea, and parts of Dlamini ran dry - an inconvenience reaching even President Cyril Ramaphosa's Soweto family home. Joburg Water said it… Read more »

South Africa: Majodina's Ultimatum to Municipalities - Deliver, or We Will Intervene

Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina says the time for talk is over, vowing that municipalities that fail to properly manage water and sanitation will bear the… Read more »

South Africa: Nelson Mandela Bay's Water Management Under Fire As Kouga Calls for Dam Control Transfer

The Kouga Municipality has asked that the Department of Water and Sanitation transfer control of the Kromme bulk water system from Nelson Mandela Bay to Gamtoos Water to improve… Read more »