SA water crisis deepening: Experts call for professionals, not cadres, to lead solutions

AS the Knysna municipality continues to be confronted by a severe water shortage crisis, the Gift of the Givers remains on the ground providing water to residents of affected communities including the Rooikrans and Smutsville communities. CADRE deployment in water management could worsen the crisis in the coming years despite President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing the establishment of the National Water Crisis Committee to be chaired by him. This is according to governance experts, who warn that the committee will not resolve the water crisis unless professionals with no loyalty to any political party are given space to operate.

South Africa is currently grappling with a severe national water crisis, which escalated around 2015, driven by severe droughts exacerbated by climate change and compounded by failing infrastructure, decades of neglected maintenance, and financial mismanagement. The crisis has led to chronic water shortages in several major metropolitan areas and provinces, with Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal being the most heavily affected. Major parts of Johannesburg, including Midrand, Melville and Laudium, and Garden Route municipalities including Knysna, Mossel Bay and George have been facing severe water shortages. In KwaZulu-Natal, residents on the South Coast have experienced erratic or non-existent supply since mid-December due to power supply interruptions affecting extraction pumps.