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IOL News
9 hours ago
- General
- IOL News
Understanding Johannesburg's water crisis: Infrastructure failures and community impact
A man collects water from a roaming tanker. Image: File/ Timothy Bernard/ Independent Newspapers Johannesburg, a sprawling metropolis that is home to over 5.5 million people, is grappling with severe water shortages that are affecting residents from all walks of life. The situation has been exacerbated by a combination of failing infrastructure, ongoing maintenance issues, and the dire realities of climate change. According to a 2025 report by Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, the city's water infrastructure is under immense pressure and fails to meet the growing demand. Frequent leaks, an ageing system, and the expansion of residential areas without corresponding upgrades in infrastructure are at the heart of the problem. Currently, Johannesburg is dealing with an estimated 2,300 burst water pipes, which only serves to intensify the crisis. These are the affected areas. Image: Rand Water Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading In a recent maintenance alert, Johannesburg Water announced that Rand Water's maintenance activities would significantly reduce water supply in various parts of the city, notably affecting areas such as Steyn City, Diepsloot, Carlswald, and Kaalfontein from 15 to 18 July 2025. This planned maintenance comes at a time when the City of Tshwane is also facing its own battles with water shortages due to reservoir maintenance, forcing residents to rely on roaming water tankers for their daily needs. Climate change further complicates South Africa's water crisis. As noted by NuWater, changing rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and increased evaporation rates significantly contribute to the nation's water scarcity. The Department of Water and Sanitation has estimated that repairing and upgrading the nation's beleaguered infrastructure will cost an astounding R90 billion annually over the next decade. The importance of water sources from the Limpopo, Inkomati, Pongola, and Orange River, as well as the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, cannot be overstated, as they currently support about 70% of South Africa's gross domestic product. Expert insights Ferrial Adam, a water specialist who spoke exclusively to IOL, expressed concern about South Africa's management of its water resources. "South Africa is a water scarce country, geographically we have half the average rainfall that is experienced in most parts of the world, but given that, but given this little water, we are still mismanaging it, we are polluting it, we are allowing it to be wasted." Adam emphasised the necessity of a shared sense of responsibility between government and citizens, alongside a compelling call for increased budget allocations to address these pressing challenges. Supporting the statement, Prof. Anja du Plessis, an Associate Professor and water management expert at Unisa, noted the alarming trends indicating an increase in water stress. "South Africa is a water scarce country, with trends showing an increase in water stress due to a multitude of factors such as increased water demands outstripping available supply, continued water pollution and increased climate variability." Du Plessis added that the unreliable water supply and the longer outages across the Gauteng metros are due to neglected municipal infrastructure. A stark illustration of this was the Vaal Dam, which may be sitting above 100% capacity, yet many areas still experience rampant water outages primarily linked to frequent pipe bursts and demand that exceeds available supply. Water springing from a burst pipe at Cnr Bertha and Stiemens Streets in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. 16 July 2025 Image: Koketso Phasha/ IOL Residents' experiences IOL spoke to South Africans to get their thoughts on the water scarcity Itumeleng Tlhabane, 27, from Pretoria said: "It is quite frustrating, because some of us live in rented rooms, we don't have large water storage capacity and the trucks often come when we are at work, leaving us with just enough water to cook, bath and do the dishes, none for laundry." Tshapang Malesela, 22, from Schoonoord in Limpopo said: I don't recall the last time I saw a running tap, the taps in our village last ran when I was very young, we have since been relying on those who have boreholes to supply us with water at various costs, and the water is often very salty because we don't have money to get the cleaning chemicals. Residents can log water related call to Johannesburg Water using fault@ IOL News
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Britain offers discounts on EVs to boost demand
The British government will offer discounts worth up to £3,750 (R90,058) to buyers of electric cars priced at £37,000 (R888,574) or below, it said on Monday, under a new scheme that aims to better align consumer demand with net zero emissions targets. The government will spend £650m (R15,610,101) on the discount scheme, which will be available from Wednesday to consumers after carmakers sign up for the scheme. As part of a wider goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Britain wants to phase out sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. However, demand for electric cars has stalled, with consumers citing high upfront costs as the main barrier. "This EV grant will not only allow people to keep more of their hard-earned money, it'll help our automotive sector seize one of the biggest opportunities of the 21st century," transport secretary Heidi Alexander said. The scheme comes after calls from the automotive industry for EV incentive as carmakers effectively need to sell more EVs every year to meet emissions targets or pay fines. Britain scrapped a previous incentive scheme for electric vehicle purchases in 2022 as the then-Conservative government shifted focus to spending on expanding the public charging network. A number of European countries including Norway, which has the highest percentage of electric cars in Europe, and France and Germany offer incentives for EV buyers, including subsidies and exemption from taxes. The British government in April relaxed some EV sales targets for carmakers as the industry coped with new tariffs on sales to the US, its second largest market after the EU. Ginny Buckley, CEO of advice website said nearly one in two electric models will be cheaper thanks to the "long overdue" incentives. The government said the £650m funding for the Electric Car Grant will be available until 2028/29. By contrast, carmakers had spent around £6.5bn (R156,044,980,000) on electric car discounts since the government's EV sales targets were introduced at the start of 2024, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders CEO Mike Hawes told reporters last month. Hawes welcomed the new grant on Monday, saying it was a "clear signal" this was the time for drivers to switch to an electric car.
The South African
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Former Kaizer Chiefs winger in rehab for marijuana
Most Kaizer Chiefs fans still remember Kgaogelo Sekgota. It was only in 2023 when the 28-year-old winger left Amakhosi after two assists in 48 appearances. The Polokwane-born attacker followed that with short stints at Stellenbosch FC and Magesi FC in the Betway Premiership, before the move to Upington City in the Motsepe Foundation Championship. The Northern Cape-based club has confirmed that the former Kaizer Chiefs winger is struggling with drug addiction. Ndlovu makes it 8 midfielders at Kaizer Chiefs Kgaogelo Sekgota at Magesi FC. Image: BackpagePix Reports on social media claimed that the former Bidvest Wits and Swallows star has been struggling with marijuana and alcohol abuse. Last season, Sekgota was dismissed by two Betway Premiership clubs after six months at each club: Stellenbosch and Magesi. 'Orlando Pirates give you R90 000, R100, 000 per month' Meanwhile, his new club Upington, are committing support. 'You can't dismiss a player because he is in rehab, so he still has an option with us,' the club's chairman David Mogashoa told FARPost . 'The player needs support, so I am going to support him. As I speak with you now, you can hear that I am in a car. I am driving to Limpopo to see him. You don't throw away people when they need help; you support them,' he added. 'We are encouraging him, and we also encourage everyone who has an issue to seek help. A player must never be crucified for seeking help. That's why I am driving to Limpopo now to go and see him,' the former Swallows chairman Mogashoa added. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
07-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
'Orlando Pirates give you R90 000, R100, 000 per month'
The top-tier Betway Premiership club, Orlando Pirates, have announced no less than nine new signings at the Rand Stadium. The names are Yanela Mbuthuma, Masindi Nemtajela, Tshepang Moremi, Nkosikhona Ndaba, Sinoxolo Kwayiba, Tshepo Mashiloane, Sihle Nduli, Sipho Mbule and Oswin Appollis. Meanwhile, the club facilitated a special meeting between Orlando Pirates legends and the new arrivals. Kaizer Chiefs make exciting announcement Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza leads a press conference from Parktown, Johannesburg. Image: Sowetan Former club leaders Tebogo Moloi, Lucky Lekgwathi, Happy Jele, Edward Motale, and Innocent Maela made themselves available to address the newbies on what to expect at the mighty Orlando Pirates. Lee Miles spotted at Orlando Pirates According to Motale, one of the key messages he shared with the new players is the degree to which their personal lives and finances will take big turns. 'I'm qui te happy because the majority of them are still young, they still have three to four years with Orlando Pirates, you understand,' Motale told Soccer Laduma . 'Remember some of them are from Chippa, Baroka. We spoke to them about their behaviour on and off the field,' the former defender added. 'Also the money issue, because for example you're coming from Baroka, you're earning R10 000, here (at Orlando Pirates) they give you R90 000, R100, 000 (per month), you're going to go crazy! 'You also need to have control. It was a nice educational talk like fathers with sons,' Motale concluded. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
eNCA
04-07-2025
- eNCA
Joburg cops in court for alleged theft
JOHANNESBURG - Eight law enforcement officers, including two civilians, will appear on theft charges at the Johannesburg magistrate's court. They've been arrested for allegedly stealing approximately R90,0000 from a shop in Johannesburg The officers allegedly stormed the shop and arrested employees for contravening the Currency Act. But the charges were later withdrawn. The shop owner noticed the cash was missing and reported the matter to the Hawks.
