Cape Town Day Zero. What Life is Like Limited to Just 6.5 Gallons of Water per person Per Day

[Exterous]

They've made some great strides pushing Zero Day back. It was as early as April 1 and is now July 9th - which is into their rainy season.

They built some fancy football stadiums there over 10 years ago, maybe they should have built infrastructure instead? Is this another story of the general ineptitude of the ANC government? (Although i thought the DA where in charge of Cape Town?) Kind of like the power situation down there?

Its a DA area but the ANC, by government mandate (constitution?) controls the majority of the water and new water related infrastructure projects. There has been a lot of anger at the ANC about perceived lack of attention because its an area that votes primarily for the opposing party.

The national government controls the water supply to Cape Town, other municipalities and the province’s agricultural sector, including the large wine industry east of Cape Town. In the first two years of the drought, experts say, the national government failed to limit water supplies to farmers, intensifying the problem.

3 years of record drought might have a small role in this

Background

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/...b/03/day-zero-how-cape-town-running-out-water

https://news.nationalgeographic.com...t-of-water-drought-taps-shutoff-other-cities/

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/feb/03/day-zero-cape-town-turns-off-taps

It certainly didn't help but I mean its not like they didn't know the area has been getting warmer and drier over the last 100 years.

As far back as 2007, South Africa’s Department of Water Affairs warnedthat the city needed to consider increasing its supply with groundwater, desalination and other sources, citing the potential impact of climate change.

Cape Town has grown warmer in recent years and a bit drier over the last century, according to Piotr Wolski, a hydrologist at the University of Cape Town who has measured average rainfall from the turn of the 20th century to the present.

They also didn't learn from Venezuela when they had their own crisis based on rain fall dependency.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/30/world/africa/cape-town-day-zero.html

 

[tynopik]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said after his inauguration two weeks ago that he would speed up the transfer of land to black people although he stressed that food production and security must be preserved.

you would think people might look at this and go "hmm, these are the same people that got us into this water mess. do we REALLY want them handling our food too?"

 

[Bitek]

Their troubles are just beginning. The South African parliament recently voted to seize white-owned farmland without compensation. Radical leftists are in control and it looks as though South Africa may be headed the way of Zimbabwe.

https://af.reuters.com/article/africaTech/idAFKCN1GB23N-OZATP

"Tuesday’s motion was brought by the radical left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party but was supported by the ANC, which controls almost two-thirds of the parliament compared with EFF’s 6 percent.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said after his inauguration two weeks ago that he would speed up the transfer of land to black people although he stressed that food production and security must be preserved.

Launching a debate on the motion in parliament, EFF leader Julius Malema said“it was time for justice” on the land issue.

“We must ensure that we restore the dignity of our people without compensating the criminals who stole our land,” he said."

As bad as Zuma was, he had been holding off the radical youth movement that wanted to follow in Mugabe's direction.

Zimbabwe's dysfunction compounds the problems in SA as so many of the displaced poor travel south to SA and end up in the shanty towns and as armed criminal gangs.

Their resentment politics poison the political system as well. Not that blacks don't have some serious reasons for grievance against the Afrikaaners, but they were on the reconcilation track after Mandela, but the ANC has been mismanaging since. Uncontrolled immigration, economic inequality and rampant poverty then lead to radicalization.

A tale of caution for the US.

 

[KMFJD]

They've made some great strides pushing Zero Day back. It was as early as April 1 and is now July 9th - which is into their rainy season.
Its a DA area but the ANC, by government mandate (constitution?) controls the majority of the water and new water related infrastructure projects. There has been a lot of anger at the ANC about perceived lack of attention because its an area that votes primarily for the opposing party.

I thought it was something made staggeringly over complex by government...same thing happened to their power grid/generation hasn't it?

 

[Victorian Gray]

Their troubles are just beginning. The South African parliament recently voted to seize white-owned farmland without compensation. Radical leftists are in control and it looks as though South Africa may be headed the way of Zimbabwe.

https://af.reuters.com/article/africaTech/idAFKCN1GB23N-OZATP

"Tuesday’s motion was brought by the radical left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party but was supported by the ANC, which controls almost two-thirds of the parliament compared with EFF’s 6 percent.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said after his inauguration two weeks ago that he would speed up the transfer of land to black people although he stressed that food production and security must be preserved.

Launching a debate on the motion in parliament, EFF leader Julius Malema said“it was time for justice” on the land issue.

“We must ensure that we restore the dignity of our people without compensating the criminals who stole our land,” he said."

Not quite yet bunky. As your own article states in the 1st paragraph:

"South Africa took a step on Tuesday to hasten the transfer of land from white to black owners when parliament backed a motion seeking to change the constitution to allow land expropriation without compensation."

And, as the same article also states:

"Land expropriations would trigger legal challenges, said Ralph Mathekga, an independent political analyst.

“This thing is going to court, make no mistake. The motion today means land has been elevated even higher as a political issue to code red from code amber,” he said"

Zimbabwe? Yeah, pull the other one bunky. The two countries' situations were/are extremely different. S.A. has tremendous problems but ya might want to leave this type of shit to the stormer guys.

btw, have we stopped pretending that you're a 'left wing troll' yet?

 

[Amused]

Modern cities don't have homeless children approaching your car begging every time you stop, or car-watchers extorting money out of you every time you park. Aren't ridiculously unsafe. Don't have horrible internet access. Have water.

I'm reminded of window washers in New York and the giant tent cities of homeless in San Diego. Maybe something else about South Africa's homeless and working class upsets you?

Cape Town has an emerging fiber network. Yes, they were a little late to the technology game, but given South Africa's geographic location, imports are expensive and so is tech.

South Africa has its troubles, no doubt. However their economic indicators and average standard of living are still better than third world and better than the US during the depression.

Cape Town is a beautiful, vibrant city with an unfortunate mass migration problem. But just a little time spent among the migrants and colored and you quickly realize the negative elements, while the unfortunate side effect of poverty, are only a tiny minority of the population. Once the migrant poverty rate lifts, South Africa will be even more amazing.

 

[Exterous]

I thought it was something made staggeringly over complex by government...same thing happened to their power grid/generation hasn't it?

Yeah I'm not sure if their grid has improved but I know they had to do rolling blackouts from like 2007 to 2016 because of infrastructure problems. Eskom is owned by the government and failing miserably at its job. If memory serves they were supposed to have two new power generation plants come online in 2013 and those didn't actually come online until 2016. There is also a huge maintenance backlog. Those delays have substantially hampered businesses as various industries like mining (which brings in a huge amount of money for SA) have had to deal with rolling blackouts that sometimes run into the week long range. South Africa Airlines is also state owned and, while not a bad product, the organization is bloated and terribly run.

 

[justoh]

Comparing NY or SD to CT, while amusing, is beyond ridiculous. Maybe you need to get out of your compound and drive around for a bit. Take the public transport, if you dare. Having just made the awful mistake of moving there, you're understandably "optimistic" about the future, but that will eventually wane, the clearer it becomes how wrong you were about its trajectory. Or when you want to take a proper shower.

 

[Jaskalas]

In some ways I think it's because Americans are so unaware how the rest of the world actually is, but cling to this idea that everywhere else is a shit hole, that we don't realize how terrible our own infrastructure is and in need of considerable investment.

History has shown that the 20th Century was the wettest in Colorado river history.
America will have its reckoning with drought.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

It took decades to get rid of the apartheid regime. Why would they want 'help' from another fascist apartheid regime?

Because it beats dying from thirst. When you turn on the taps and nothing comes out you'll accept a triumvirate of Hitler, Stalin and Cthulhu to run your country if they can get the water running again. Capetown needs a new water solution, period. Even if the drought breaks it just pushes the disaster 10 years down the road, it doesn't solve anything. The current leadership is more apt to turn to somebody with a dowsing rod than to be able to wrap their brains around a real solution. They're going to need to need help from someone outside South Africa. If they had brains they'd be on their knees begging some other regime to get them a modern desalination plant. It's their only way out, it's that or abandon the city.

 

[Moonbeam]

Solar energy is the answer to water problems.

 

[Bitek]

Comparing NY or SD to CT, while amusing, is beyond ridiculous. Maybe you need to get out of your compound and drive around for a bit. Take the public transport, if you dare. Having just made the awful mistake of moving there, you're understandably "optimistic" about the future, but that will eventually wane, the clearer it becomes how wrong you were about its trajectory. Or when you want to take a proper shower.

Comparing CT to some third world shithole is rediculous. We have friends there and relatives in the Western cape going back generations. Been out to the country and visited them in their houses. There are wonderful places and some really scary places. Not exactly a unique experience unknown in the first world.

Nobody is disputing the trend is bad due to govt mismanagement, some frightening political movements are going on, but the country is a lovely place with great potential if the govt can manage not to fuck it up.

 

[bshole]

Have you ever been to Cape Town?

Please explain why calling it a modern city "hilarious?"

For most modern cities, this type of housing would be torn down or uninhabited.

 

[KMFJD]

For most modern cities, this type of housing would be torn down or uninhabited.

and Detroit has lots of run down areas as well...

 

[GagHalfrunt]

and Detroit has lots of run down areas as well...

Detroit has the sense to set fire to theirs.

 

[Bitek]

CT and Western Cape:

CT waterfront:

Garden route along southern coast

Wine country, Ceres:

Paarl:

Yes, the shanty towns exist, but that's not the whole truth of the country as neither are images of rot from rural Appalachia or American urban areas.

 

[Bitek]

and Detroit has lots of run down areas as well...

And undrinkable lead poisoned water...
Well Flint... But close enough

 

[KMFJD]

Detroit has the sense to set fire to theirs.

Devils night isn't as bad as it used too

 

[justoh]

I guess this hysterical defense of CT as a "modern city," at least if you're one of the very few rich or an American on a novelty vacation, on a shopping trip to the v&a or on a wine tasting tour (and ceres isn't even in ct) means that there must not be much to say in defense of them running out of water.

They were told something like 1/100 and then 1/1000 chance of the drought persisting, and they thought that looked pretty good. You could say it's reasonable, but it's been on a downward trend since 2012, and they seem to store barely more than they use, so it's probably only a question of time. They say 1% of the world depends on desalination, but that it's expected to be 14% by 2025, and that most of the increase will be in Africa. I guess there wasn't really any risk, since the politicians could just leave if the rains didn't return. They were probably planing on leaving anyway, it being the antithesis of modernity. Just look at that castle.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Devils night isn't as bad as it used too

Yeah, because there's less stuff remaining to burn now.

 

[Ventanni]

It took decades to get rid of the apartheid regime. Why would they want 'help' from another fascist apartheid regime?

Political opinions aside, Israel has a huge amount of proven experience dealing with water conservation, reclamation, and management. After all, they live in a desert. It would absolutely be within Cape Town's best interest to listen.

 

[Muse]

Can you imagine the state of agriculture in a place where people are allowed 6.5 gallons of water a piece/day?

 

[Exterous]

Political opinions aside, Israel has a huge amount of proven experience dealing with water conservation, reclamation, and management. After all, they live in a desert. It would absolutely be within Cape Town's best interest to listen.

Except the water crisis is completely fake and just an excuse to line the pockets of the DA with money from the Jewish Mafia

The DA "fabricated" the Day Zero water crisis in Cape Town to set the scene for desalination contract kickbacks from the "Jewish mafia", some ANC members of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature claimed on Friday.

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/...n-love-with-the-jewish-mafia-anc-mpl-20180223

 

[Amused]

Except the water crisis is completely fake and just an excuse to line the pockets of the DA with money from the Jewish Mafia



https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/...n-love-with-the-jewish-mafia-anc-mpl-20180223

The ANC is SA's version of Bat Shit. Unfortunately, the once great freedom party has been utterly corrupted and engages in divisive propaganda in an effort to stay in power.

Every year the DA gains ground and is quite nearly equal in power. Soon, it will be a check on the ANC's unchallenged power which has led to appaling corruption and loss of any and all integrity.

 

[urvile]

My buddy works in mining and he was working in SA and he was home over christmas and new years. We were having a few drinks and he says "Once you have been in the shower with an african......" and I am sitting there thinking where the fuck is this going? Do I change the subject? Do I state that "What happens in africa stays in africa?" Then he clarified with. They all live on the minesite and they all shower at the same time. He didn't go into much further detail but I was left with the impression that it was quite an intimidating experience.