Fears about Minister Dlodlo weren't unfounded. Six months into the job, she's been accused of issuing illegal interception orders, writes Adriaan Basson.
Sunny. Mild.
Johannesburg residents have been urged to try to save water after the level of the Vaal Dam dropped to 53.1%.
Trudging home along a dusty street in the Zimbabwean city of Bulawayo, Sikhathele Ndlovu balances a 20-litre bucket of water on her head, a ritual she’s performed daily for almost a decade. Persistent drought on top of existing faulty piping means there’s little prospect of an end to her back-breaking trek to the communal borehole.
Two universities had to shut down due to a prolonged water shortage and a municipal strike.
Water trucks no longer deliver, and a project to install taps has stopped in Umkhambathini.
The City of Johannesburg says residents can officially breathe a sigh of relief as Rand Water wraps up its 54-hour maintenance.
Quality Filtrations Systems maintains that seawater feeding into the desalination plant at the V&A Waterfront is polluted by raw sewage from the Green Point outfall pipe and is sometimes up to 400% dirtier than specifications the City gave companies that tendered to build the plant.
Gift of the Givers spokesperson Imtiaz Sooliman says while the organisation maintained an amicable relationship with the municipality, the government edged it out of millions of rand spent during the height of the water crisis in Makhanda.
Forget power cuts. What is happening to our water supply is much more serious.
This year's grape harvest will be smaller than last year's because of the drought and October heatwave – but the quality of the wine is likely to be better.
In February thousands of residents of Makhanda were suddenly left without water when the municipality cut supply to parts of the town. Confusion and panic gave way to complaints about water quality when supply was restored. This News24 Special Report looks into the area's water woes.
The services of a diver have been procured to go deeper into the dam and release the valve that will allow for the right pressure to release water to Queenstown.
The City of Cape Town has asked the Western Cape High Court to dismiss legal action launched against it by the company that built a desalination plant at the V&A Waterfront.
When the drought set in, all citizens were requested to conserve water. This led to the CoCT not meeting their budgeted target as less water was sold. Next, the same residents were hit with severe water tariff increases to balance the CoCT budget.
Residents of Mahikeng in the North West have been urged to remain patient as the provincial government works toward reducing water cuts being experienced in the area.
Experts warn that the good rainfall in early June does not mean that the rainfall in the rest of winter will be good - or even average - and have urged that water restrictions remain in place.
Big companies may have funds to help address water challenges in Africa, but they must get community input in the process, says a Coca-Cola executive.
Although three years of low rainfall led to very low dam levels, there were breakdowns in the interaction between national, provincial and municipal government that exacerbated the problem.
Cape Town's drought would not have reached a crisis point and the economic consequences might have been avoided had the city council taken action earlier, says Deputy Mayor Ian Neilson.
The pressure to keep water in the taps of historic Makhanda remains high as authorities deal with infrastructure challenges and acts of vandalism.
Our overriding message is that the town and the festival will have water. We've got this. And we need to reassure you that you will not be an unwelcome burden on residents, writes Tony Lankester.
Southbound
Western CapeLiberty Financial Advisers
Cape Town Northern SuburbsPlacement Point (Pty) LtdR420 000.00 - R480 000.00 Per Year
Western CapeThe Building Company
Houses R 4 899 000
Houses R 3 395 000
Apartments / Flats R 2 495 000
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