In the two to three years that have passed since these reports were published, things have only got worse. It was estimated that the country was spending R33 billion/year less than was required to achieve water security and avoid running into serious shortages by 2030. The document stated that 35% of South Africans did not have access to reliable water supply, and that between 55% and 70% of the country’s waste water and water treatment works were either in a critical of dysfunctional condition. Government’s own National Water and Sanitation Master Plan, published in 2018, projected that without serious intervention, South Africa would face a water deficit of 17% by 2030. Water supply (outside of major urban areas) got a D. The South African Institution of Civil Engineering’s Infrastructure Report Card for South Africa, last published in September 2017, gave the state of South Africa’s infrastructure an overall grade of D+, which denotes a ‘At Risk of Failure’ status, only one grade higher than the lowest grade, an E. No wonder then that Letsoalo believes that “people in the water and agricultural departments don’t know what they are doing”.Ī full-blown water disaster has been slithering closer for South Africa for many years. Solly Letsoalo, a farmer from Limpopo, has struggled for seven years with the transferring of water rights linked to the farm he leases from the state to his name.Īccording to Letsoalo, he has been writing letters to various state departments and institutions since 2013 to get the water rights transferred, but each of his emails were answered vaguely, with most just passing the buck. Putting boreholes, canal systems and dams in place is an expensive undertaking, but when it comes to transformation of the farming sector, I struggle to think of anything that could be more crucial to the success of new farmers than having access to water.Īnd in some cases, the problem is only made worse by an incapable bureaucratic system that farmers have to navigate to secure water rights.
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