Page 4 -
P. 4
(' 6 &200(17
WHAT WILL IT TAKE?
What will it take for South Africans to change their wasteful In December 2019, Rand Water advised
water habits, to change their entire mindsets about conserving that the LHWP (Lesotho Highlands Water
Project) tunnel had been re-opened after
what we have so little of, yet what we so desperately need? being closed for two months to allow for
We face dwindling dam levels, scorching heat waves, high inspection and maintenance.
evaporation rates and not enough rain falling where it needs to After completion of all the repairs and
– into the Vaal Dam’s catchment area (in the case of Gauteng). installation of equipment, water started
For the foreseeable future, global warming is here to stay. flowing into the Katse tunnel. (At the
time, the Vaal Dam stood at 40.2% full and
during the shutdown period, no water
transfers to the Vaal River System were
NOTE TO READERS possible as the tunnel was drained). The
LHWP augments the water resources in
the Vaal River System that provides water
As a rider to the above, I came across the following view expressed to Rand Water, Sasol, Eskom and numerous
by John Kane-Berman in an article on Biznews.com (10 December smaller users.
2019).
Despite this providing some sense of relief
“South Africa’s water crisis has less to do with drought and around the dire water shortages in the
climate change than with racial ideology and the policy of cadre country, it is imperative that South Africans
deployment, both key components of the national democratic continue to exercise restraint in the way
revolution to which the ANC and its trade union allies are they use water. The reality is that we are,
committed. Even without the devastating consequences of
and will always be, a water scarce country.
drought, South Africa would still have a water crisis. Like that at The reality is also that we are irresponsible
Eskom, the water crisis is man-made, or to be more precise, it is water users, and on top of that, we have
ANC-made.”
an ageing water infrastructure that causes
leaks and burst pipes, leading to the
To put the above quote into context, read the full article online
shameful loss of millions of litres of water.
at www.biznews.com : “The Ugly Truth About South Africa’s
Water Crisis: ANC Cadre Deployment to Blame”. Kane-Berman Come on South Africa, wake up and save
is the author of several books on South African politics. For ten the water before the taps run dry!
years he was senior assistant editor of the Financial Mail and the
South African correspondent for numerous foreign papers. He is a
graduate of Wits and Oxford Universities. Karyn Richards,
EDITOR
An accredited training
services provider
Sports Turf Maintenance
Garden services, landscaping, Gardening and Horticulture
irrigation repairs and installation, Arboriculture
tree felling and once-off clean up. Contact us to upskill your
staff
T: 011 794 1969
E: INFO@BCLANDSCAPE.CO.ZA
W: BCLANDSCAPES.ORG.ZA
129 Romney Ave, Chartwell
Paulos: 082 291 7427
Lennie: 074 917 1680
