President Cyril Ramaphosa says that water quality in South Africa is of a high standard and “compares well with the best in the world”, citing the government’s Water Research Commission. However, the same research shows the opposite.
He also pointed to South Africa not being alone in the outbreak, citing a World Health Organisation report that showed that there had been several cases since the beginning of the year in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.Regarding water quality, Ramaphosa cited the most recent Green Drop Report to try and put a positive spin on the narrative.
The Green Drop report and Blue Drop report were published by the Department of Water and Sanitation in March 2022, each gauging different aspects of South Africa’s water systems. The Green Drop report focuses on wastewater management, while the Blue Drop report looks at drinking water quality.The Greed Drop report requires wastewater systems to achieve a 90% score to be issued a Green Drop certificate – indicating a working, efficient and world-quality system.
“This includes ensuring that national minimum norms and standards are comprehensive, adequately monitored and adhered to by all water service providers,” said Ramaphosa. He added that many local councils have underspent on critical water infrastructure, and this is unacceptable. In South Africa, there are roughly 3 million kilolitres of drinkable water lost every day due to poor infrastructure and leakages – costing the country R250 million a year.Civil rights organisation AfriForum has also raised alarm over the current outbreak stating that it has for several years, through court applications, been busy with strategies to improve the quality of water in the country as well as the defective sewage system.