By Kotie Geldenhuys; Photos courtesy of GroundUp
In a land filled with promise and potential, the heart of the nation is beginning to show signs of wear and tear. South Africa’s infrastructure, once a symbol of progress, is teetering on the brink of collapse. The people of this great nation, especially those in the bustling province of Gauteng, find themselves in a growing struggle for basic necessities such as clean water. Rand Water, the trusted supplier of household water to millions in Gauteng, has raised the alarm. Their once reliable flow is now a trickle and they attribute this scarcity to municipal mismanagement and crumbling infrastructure. The pipes, pumps and systems designed to quench the province’s thirst are faltering, neglected by those entrusted with their care. Citizens, who have a right to clean water, good roads, reliable public transport and electricity, are feeling and seeing the cracks in the very foundations of their communities widening each day. And again, organised crime groups have spotted the potential of taking advantage of this mismanagement resulting in the formation of the so-called water tanker mafia which have started to prey on South Africans desperate for water. These extortion rackets started with the construction mafia, but lately, water has become the next big honey pot for organised crime.
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[This is only an extract of an article that is published in Servamus: December 2024. This article is available for purchase.]