Cape Town’s Water Reckoning
You’ve likely heard that Cape Town, South Africa is the throes of an epic water crisis. Thanks to a record drought, population growth, overconsumption, poor infrastructure, and years of mismanagement of the water supply, reservoirs on the verge of running dry. The city has imposed severe restrictions on water usage as what’s known as “Day Zero” approaches — the day people’s taps will be turned off. When Day Zero hits, residents will have to go to designated water points to gather their ration.
I moved to Cape Town in the midst of all of this, just a couple of months ago. When my wife and I arrived, the city was entering peak panic mode. People weren’t conserving enough water, officials said. Day Zero was going to happen and Cape Town would become the first city in the modern period to run out of water.
Every topic of conversation around town revolves around water. Uber drivers give tips on where to buy the best buckets to catch excess water in the shower. Friends share conspiracy theories about politicians orchestrating the city’s water insecurity. All anyone talks about is water.
And yet, I can’t seem to believe that Cape Town is going to run out of water. It just seems impossible, even irrational.
That being said, we have been diligently following the conservation guidelines. We’re supposed to use no more than 50 litres a day — less than one-sixth of what the typical American uses. Laundry is done once a week, and only when the washing machine is at peak capacity. We collect grey water from our showers and sinks to flush the toilet. Even in public toilets, everyone knows the protocol: if it’s yellow let it mellow; if it’s brown flush it down. Showers are 90 seconds long and somewhat infrequent.
Maybe these efforts are working. Since we moved here, Day Zero has been pushed back several times, from April to June. But even experts say that now, all we can hope for is an act of god. If the winter rains finally do come, there might not be a day zero at all this year. However, the problem of infrastructure and drought will persist.
As this crisis unfolded in the Eastern and Western Cape, former president Jacob Zuma was fighting for his political life. After years of scandal, a weakening economy and rampant corruption, the ruling African National Congress finally showed Zuma the door. In his place, one of Africa’s wealthiest businessmen and Nelson Mandela’s original choice to succeed him, Cyril Ramaphosa, became the country’s fifth president since the fall of Apartheid.
Having grown accustomed to Zuma’s ability to hollow out the political system and stay in power, South Africans breathed a cautious sigh of relief when he finally tendered his resignation last week. Markets are hopeful that Ramaphosa will rehabilitate the country’s ageing infrastructure and reestablish the rule of law in the political realm. But he has got his work cut out for him.
I am still convinced that Cape Town will not run out of water but it is clear that conservation is now part of our lifestyle. I am lucky though. I am able to purchase stockpiles of water and I have the luxury of plumbing in my home. For many residents of Cape Town living on the other side of Table Mountain from me, running water is not part of their lives. They already get water from communal taps and don’t have to wait for Day Zero to live that way.
The water crisis has given all of Cape Town a glimpse into this life. It has temporarily closed the enormous gulf between the haves and the have-nots in the city. But now that Day Zero has been postponed, the gulf is widening again. The initial surge of camaraderie and action among Capetonians is beginning to wane: people are settling into a new normal. This complacency is real challenge and is something the political leadership has to break.