Blog categorized as Press Release

Ensure basic water access before cut offs

Joburg and SA failure to manage water crisis is inexcusable


Routine water cuts lasting weeks in Joburg suburbs. Desperate residents on the streets begging for water tankers that don’t arrive. Inadequate management of leaks. Informal settlements “stealing” water cut off. This is what failed governanc...

06.12.2024 23:36:35
Postpone Rand Water’s December Shutdown

WaterCAN slams poor timing of Rand Water's planned shutdown amid ongoing Johannesburg water crisis, asks for shutdown to be reconsidered or alternatives to be explored to mitigate disruptions.  


WaterCAN has expressed reservations about the planned maintenance by Rand Water at the Eikenhof and Z...

04.12.2024 21:24:08
Urgent High-Level Action Needed to Solve Sanitation Crisis


Inadequate sanitation facilities in South Africa, particularly in schools, highlight an urgent need for intervention, says WaterCAN. According to WaterCAN’s executive manager, Dr Ferrial Adam, the prevalence of pit latrines, the failing state of wastewater treatment, and children’s safety risks in s...

19.11.2024 20:53:18
Joburg’s water challenges: an ongoing struggle

As a nation, we must urgently change our relationship with water


Johannesburg is facing a severe water crisis that demands immediate and sustained action from authorities, businesses and residents. The recent water crisis meeting between the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, the Gauteng Premier, Rand...

13.11.2024 22:30:07
Municipalities continue to fail communities on water

Department spends billions on infrastructure, but communities still battle daily for water due to municipal ineptitude


Municipalities remain the biggest blockage in the water and sanitation systems. WaterCAN welcomes the detailed 100-days update provided by the Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy ...

07.11.2024 23:11:20
No power and poor contractors affect water and sanitation delivery

MTBPS 2024 underlines the need for municipal reform to get basic services delivered


The Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS 2024) illustrates how widespread and unmanaged government dysfunction affects delivery. This is one of the most illuminating sentences in the MTBPS, found in the Water an...

04.11.2024 23:35:47
Charge negligent officials over Makhanda and eThekwini water outages

The water supply situation will only improve when municipal managers face charges over failed water supply


WaterCAN is deeply concerned about the ongoing water outages affecting the communities of Makhanda and eThekwini. These disruptions have caused significant inconvenience and hardship for residen...

30.08.2024 21:53:32
WaterCAN calls on municipalities to warn the public about contaminated tap water



The Blue Drop Report released in 2023 highlights the fact that at least 46% of drinking systems don’t comply with microbiological standards. According to the regulations under the Water Services Act, it is mandatory for a municipality to inform users if it repeatedly finds water quality does not mee...


02.07.2024 23:55:14
Communities without water despite Joburg Water's promises


While the maintenance is welcomed and essential, frustrations with Joburg Water are mounting. The utility had promised to deploy 85 water trucks and place 300 JoJo tanks near hospitals, clinics, old age homes, schools, and police stations. 
However, residents still do not know where these can be...

28.06.2024 00:48:03
South Africa needs strong, ethical ministers for water and environmental ministries not destructive power politics


Today, on 5 June, we celebrate World Environment Day, a milestone established during the landmark Earth Summit of 1972, which also led to the formation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). 
This day is dedicated to raising awareness and prompting action for environmental protect...

05.06.2024 17:45:27