News

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

Navigating Waterborne Diseases in a Changing Climate: South Africa’s Urgent Challenge

This opinion piece was written by Dr. Ogone Motlogeloa

South Africa is confronting a severe crisis where climate change and declining water quality intersect, leading to a significant impact on public health and the environment. This crisis affects all facets of South African life, demanding a ...

25.10.2024 18:10:33

Gauteng’s water crisis: Rand Water's messaging on the crisis

Gauteng consumers and municipalities should use water as though Day Zero is upon us, and get used to that as a way of life.

The recent Rand Water announcement about the constraints in Gauteng’s water supply systems has not successfully raised awareness among residents about the urgent need to reduce ...

21.10.2024 20:44:48

Half the Joburg water reservoirs leak and WaterCAN wants answers

As Day Zero looms in Joburg, the news of the City’s 42 leaking reservoirs underlines the need for transparency

The revelation that half of the City of Joburg’s water reservoirs leak and that the City plans to repair only half of those is shocking, but the release of this information is welcome. “It’s...

08.10.2024 17:29:48

Citizen science leads the way in water monitoring and protection

South Africa’s next big crisis – this time with water – is here, and it will have a much bigger impact than our energy crisis. But citizen science activism can help turn it around. Dr Ferrial Adam, WaterCAN’s executive manager, explains how.

The state of our water resources affects us all, whether yo...

17.09.2024 19:04:57

Mogale City’s Infrastructure Collapse: A Threat to Public Health and Human Rights

Mismanagement and Neglect Expose Mogale City Residents to Health Risks Amid Sewage Crisis

Reports of wilful and persistent sewage pollution by the City of Mogale reveal more than an environmental disaster; they highlight a human rights violation with the potential to cause a public health crisis. The...

17.09.2024 03:50:16

Water Monitoring Day with nationwide water testing campaign

WaterCAN, an initiative of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), is proud to announce its 3rd annual water testing month this September, in collaboration with the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens. This initiative is part of the ...

04.09.2024 20:03:45