Widespread water access challenges, driven by crumbling infrastructure, vandalism, and poor local governance, are plaguing communities across the country, a Water Research Commission roadshow at Rhodes University has heard.
The university town of Makhanda in the Eastern Cape, which has its own long-standing water issues, provided the backdrop for the discussions, which aim to find practical solutions to the national crisis. A key concern raised is that many areas are receiving water that is not safe for consumption due to a lack of maintenance at water sources.
A spokesperson from the water sector highlighted the compounded nature of the problem. “The issue that we have is that we have got intermittent supply of water because of the vandalism that you talked about,” the spokesperson said, also pointing to growing settlements and informal squatter camps where residents lack any consistent water supply.
While the government is providing water tanks to these areas, the spokesperson acknowledged the solution is inadequate. “You cannot really depend on water supplied… at times that maybe sometimes you are not even at home, you’re at work,” the spokesperson said, conceding that “people are not really satisfied.”
The crisis is further exacerbated by failures in local governance, which were cited as a major contributing factor, particularly within the province. Another official emphasized the need for accountability and smarter use of existing funds.
“We really need our officials and our authorities to ensure that they are doing the best they can to address those issues,” the official stated. “Where we have found failures, we require our municipalities to reprioritize their budgets because there’s no new money that can be given, but they must reprioritize the grants that they’ve got and ensure that those failures are addressed first.”
The official warned of potential legal consequences for mismanagement, stating, “We don’t want to find that the failure is causing a manager to be taken to court.”
Despite the challenges, authorities maintain that a long-term plan is essential. The Water Research Commission’s roadshow is continuing its work, with further deliberations and solutions expected to be tabled.
