South Africa's water inequality - 20th April 2022

Just four years ago, Cape Town, South Africa was experiencing a drought. All the city's water supply had almost dried up. Today, the city's got so much water that swimming pools in private homes are full.

However, the city's largest and poorest township, Khayelitsha, still lacks water.

Resident, Shadrack Mogress thinks there was more water in the community during the drought.

Shadrack Mogress: But it is actually worse than that. Because we do have water and we know that. We do have water. But it happens worst that it happened when there was a drought.”

Khayelitsha's only source of water is connected to its community toilets. Families have to collect water for daily use.

Sandile Zatu fills his bucket with as much water as possible every morning.

Sandile Zatu: “We have no choice but to wake up in the morning and try to fill your bucket as much as you can.”

The World Bank reports that South Africa has the highest levels of inequality in the world. It says that race plays a major role.

During Covid, Cape Town city council supplied water to townships to encourage hand washing. However, this has ended.

Councillor Zahid Badroodien said it's difficult to provide for the growing number of illegal communities.

Zahid Badroodien: “During the period of Covid 19, at least 17 new illegal informal settlements have been erected across our city, in the space of a few months, seventeen new illegal informal settlements. And the city then, is expected to provide basic services to those settlements, which is difficult to do.”

But while population growth's the norm and more droughts are expected, authorities still fail to provide basic services to these townships.

Community health agent Jo Barnes complains about the lack of planning.

Jo Barnes: “Part of that is outside the control of the city but this has been going on for the last 30 years and I’ve actually seen very little forward planning to cope with these people. It seems to me, and I hope I’m not attributing something to them, but it seems to me as if they thought if they just leave it alone and let them settle where they were, and it is unpleasant, that they will go back."