Failing Water System Is South Africa's Next Crisis
- Large swath of Johannesburg left without water for 11 days
- Africa’s biggest bulk water company unable to meet demand
South Africa is facing the prospect of a breakdown in the water supply to its industrial heartland and most-populated region, adding to the woes of an economy battered by power outages, congested ports and a broken freight-rail system.
Rand Water Services Ltd., Africa’s biggest bulk-water supplier, on March 16 told three municipalities in the central Gauteng province — Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, which have a combined population of more than 13 million people — that its system was on the verge of collapse.