Many problems in South Africa can be blamed on apartheid, but the water crisis that looms over Joburg and Gauteng is not one of them. This was a case of taking a system that was created after the birth of democracy and was working very well, and then wrecking it.
When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, for a range of practical and political considerations, roads, hospitals and schools were made a provincial competency. This partial devolution of state administration to provinces was carried over into democracy after 1994.
The citizens of Gauteng can be grateful that water provision was not made a provincial competency. But water distribution is the job of the third tier of government, the municipalities. In this, perhaps their most important responsibility, the big three metros of Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni have failed dismally. They have neglected the common-sense basics of management: planning, maintenance, accurate billing, investment in more infrastructure.
Who is responsible? It’s easy to blame the ANC, which was in charge when the world-class entity that was Joburg Water was deliberately dismantled. But the DA ran Joburg between 2016 and 2019, and clearly did little to reverse the damage.
In the end, the voters of Gauteng are responsible. In the 2026 local government election, it will be interesting to see who they will blame or reward for depriving them of water.
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