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 »
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 »
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 »
June 20, 2023
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: 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 »
May 28, 2023
South Africa: Ramaphosa 'Satisfied' With Govt Response to Cholera Outbreak, Vows to Visit Hammanskraal
A government investigation is yet to find the source of contaminated water, while 23 people have lost their lives and dozens have been hospitalised. Read more »
May 24, 2023
South Africa: Andries Tatane Died for Water - Hammanskraal Cholera Deaths Did Not Come Out of the Blue
Hammanskraal falls under the control of one of the biggest metros in the country -- and our capital city. Imagine what's happening to those in our far-flung rural areas? Read more »
May 23, 2023
South Africa: Gauteng Cholera Outbreak - What You Can Do to Ensure Your Water Is Safe
As health authorities scramble to combat the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal that has claimed 15 lives and infected dozens more, it's vital that communities ensure their water is… Read more »