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While acknowledged in the Sona, Johannesburg’s water woes continue to threaten public health and equity, prompting demands for emergency funding, accountability and sustainable infrastructure Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Water rights at risk: Johannesburg communities urge immediate government intervention

While acknowledged in the Sona, Johannesburg’s water woes continue to threaten public health and equity, prompting demands for emergency funding, accountability and sustainable…

Watershed: The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority building in Maseru. Photo: Sechaba Mokhethi

How South Africa’s Lesotho water project costs ballooned by R45bn

Political and administrative delays, treaty complications and changes in government leadership contributed to the jump

Many railway lines are underutilised or abandoned, with over 30% of Africa’s rail infrastructure inoperable.

Economy 2025: A GNU hope, but ports, rail and water crisis likely to hinder growth

The country’s ports and rail systems are shambolic, but GNU and a pause in load-shedding have elicited some optimism

Mzikazi Tyakume, who lives in KwaKlifu village in Qonce, part of Buffalo City, in the Eastern Cape, says that she is boycotting the elections later this month. Photos: Delwyn Verasamy

Buffalo City residents turn their backs on ANC over municipal failings

Irate community members say they will boycott the May 29 elections because of housing and infrastructure failures

The City of Johannesburg has recorded an increase in illegal mining activities, which include tunnelling on the road reserve, below road surfaces and excavations of bridge embankments in recent years. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

City of Johannesburg counting cost of illegal mining on its infrastructure

Road and water infrastructure, largely in the central, south and west of Johannesburg, is being damaged

With dysfunctional sewage plants and failing water treatment plants such as Temba (above) South Africa has the perfect conditions for diseases such as cholera to thrive. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

From the archives: The water crisis

In 2015, the M&G ran a series of articles about the critical state of water and sanitation. Things have only got worse in the years since then

(Supplied)

Contaminated Isipingo lagoon and other beaches leaves KwaZulu-Natal fishers reeling

The contamination has resulted in the lagoon being closed while a cleanup is underway, cutting off fishers’ source of income

Government debt places a huge burden on taxpayers to fund service delivery. (Adrien Barbier/ AFP)

Why debt is a human rights issue

Many SADC countries are using scarce resources to service loans instead of offering public services