Ebrahim Harvey | Placing the South African water crisis in perspective

The water, sanitation and sewerage crisis is worse than the electricity crisis, Ebrahim Harvey argues, adding that the ANC's lack of technical knowledge in both spheres has cost the country.  

It has taken me a long while to write about the roots of our water, sanitation and sewarage crisis in South Africa under the government of the ANC. This crisis and its devastating effects are very similar to the enormous damage the Eskom electricity load shedding crisis has had on households, institutions and businesses since it first began in late 2007, while Thabo Mbeki was still president in office. 

But water, sanitation and sewerage are ultimately much more important in our lives than electricity. For a very long historical period human societies had no electricity but survived and thrived in many respects.