The State of South Africa’s water crisis: A national disaster

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has called for the country’s water crisis to be declared a national disaster as major metropolitan areas face critical shortages. The situation, described as reaching 'crisis proportions,' involves widespread lack of access to water across Cape Town, Durban, Nelson Mandela Bay, Ekurhuleni, and Gauteng. Key drivers include ageing bulk infrastructure, maintenance backlogs, power outages at treatment plants, and labour unrest, specifically an unprotected strike by the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in Johannesburg. The SAHRC emphasizes that the crisis is compromising fundamental human rights, impacting healthcare facilities, and forcing school closures. The commission has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce emergency interventions and ring-fenced budgets during the State of the Nation Address to address systemic failures and prevent further escalation, while warning against potential corruption linked to emergency funding.