Over one million South African households lack access to clean drinking water

Rand Water says its water is safe to drink. Picture: iStock More than 1.1 million households across South Africa remain without access to potable water, according to data from the Department of Water and Sanitation. The figures, recently revealed by Water and Sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina in response to a parliamentary question from EFF MP Dr Lilian Managa, paint a stark picture of the country’s ongoing water crisis.

While the national average shows 6% of households without clean drinking water, the burden falls disproportionately on certain provinces. The Eastern Cape faces the most severe crisis, with 340 818 households lacking access to potable water. This represents 18% of the province’s 1 866 388 total households, making it by far the worst-affected region in the country.

Limpopo follows as the second most affected province, where 272 570 households, or 14% of the provincial total, remain without clean water access. The province’s 1 883 948 households make it one of the larger provinces grappling with this challenge. KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga both show 9% of their households without potable water, with 258 599 and 135 250 households affected, respectively.

[paywall]

In contrast, several provinces have managed to keep their figures significantly low. The Free State, Gauteng, and Western Cape each report only 1% of households without access to clean drinking water.

[/paywall]