Katlego Sekhu
- Midrand is facing an escalating water crisis, forcing businesses to shut down services.
- The Siz The World questioned who should be held accountable.
- With rapid development continuing unchecked, voices on the show warned that Johannesburg is sitting on a ticking time bomb unless urgent action is taken
George Manyosi, standing in for Sizwe Dhlomo, and The Siz The World team weighed in on the Midrand water crisis and growing concerns from businesses losing revenue due to ongoing water cuts.
The team asked who should be held accountable for the crisis in Midrand. Is it the municipality, Joburg Water, government spatial planning, mushrooming apartment developments, or the Department of Water and Sanitation’s failure to upgrade ageing infrastructure?
They also raised questions around inefficient irrigation systems and the failure to store floodwater.
Mbali Thethane noted that the municipality is tasked with looking after the state of the city, and they have let people down.
Kaya traffic reporter Slu Molamodi added that “nothing is as frustrating as hearing government officials saying, ‘We are working on it’ and ‘we’re implementing this in stages’.”
She continued, adding, “For some reason it sounded like, ‘we’ve heard this before’.”
“Midrand is one of those places where every year new buildings are popping up, but who is actually looking after the infrastructure?”
Mpho Maboi added that when it comes to spatial planning and infrastructure in Johannesburg, the two simply do not match.
“This is a ticking time bomb. Not just for electricity, but for water too,” she said.
To hear the full discussion, listen to the podcast.
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