News

Gauteng E.coli alarm bell: Water safety under question

WaterCAN is raising alarm over the Gauteng Province’s failure to meet basic microbiological water quality standards.

READ NOW:Our letter sent to Joburg Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation

READ NOW: Johannesburg Water responds to WaterCAN Letter

This follows recent public commentary by wat...

19.07.2025 04:25:32

Bekkersdal Water Pollution Crisis: Rand West Municipality fails to act on unsafe water findings

Civil society organisations Be the Future Foundation, WaterCAN, Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and Defend Our Democracy have expressed deep concern and disappointment over the continued silence of the Rand West City Municipality in response to urgent water safety warnings in Bekkersdal and Simunye.Despit...

17.07.2025 22:37:43

Unsafe Water in Schools: Learners lead the call for urgent action

A new report released by WaterCAN today reveals a disturbing truth: 43% of water samples tested from South African schools are unsafe for human consumption, posing a serious threat to the health, dignity, and educational rights of thousands of learners across the country.

You can download the report ...

25.06.2025 21:00:32

The new Water Anti-Corruption Forum must deliver

WaterCAN, a civil society organisation advocating for water justice, has welcomed the launch of the Water Sector Anti-Corruption Forum (WSACF), led by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), as a critical intervention to confront entrenched corruption across South Africa’s water value chain. WaterCAN ...

16.05.2025 00:58:33

WaterCAN Responds to the Mayor’s State of the City Address

Bold Words Must Be Matched with Urgent Action on Water and Sanitation

According to WaterCAN, a water justice group, the City of Johannesburg Mayor’s 2025 State of the City Address failed to instill confidence that Johannesburg is treating its water and sanitation crisis with the urgency and transpare...

09.05.2025 20:41:08

Going to the park? Take a rubbish bag and pick up a load of litter

The Joburg spruits need your help

Unrestrained sewage spills from the City of Johannesburg and rubbish are polluting the Johannesburg spruits which run from Gauteng to Mozambique, are used for water sports, religious ceremonies and replenishing wetlands, and are needed by people, birds and wildlife i...

29.04.2025 21:09:48

We can restore the Umbilo River: A citizen science call to action

A coalition of civil society organisations has sounded the alarm over the dire state of Durban’s Umbilo River. A 22-day investigation led by WaterCAN, Adopt-a-River, and Save Our Rivers and Sea from Sewage (SORS-FS) has uncovered extreme levels of pollution, including raw sewage leaks, industrial du...

22.04.2025 22:40:49

Water Summits without Civil Society are a waste of time—and water

Government’s exclusion of civil society shows it’s not serious about solving SA’s water crisis.

The Department of Water and Sanitation’s latest Indaba (27–28 March 2025) brought together government officials, academics, the private sector, and media to discuss the country’s deepening water crisis. Bu...

28.03.2025 22:31:42

Toxic time bomb: Klip River pollution crisis demands action

Decades of industrial waste and sewage spills have turned the Klip River into a health hazard – WaterCAN is calling for accountability before more lives are at risk.

The Water Community Action Network (WaterCAN), is demanding urgent action following a University of Johannesburg study confirming the l...

28.03.2025 01:42:27

WATER CHECKED, FUTURE SECURED

A collaborative water testing project in 115 high schools across five provinces equips students with the knowledge and tools to protect South Africa’s water quality.

“Water checked, future secured” is the slogan of the WaterCAN Youth Collective’s water testing project for high school students. The re...

19.03.2025 20:12:26