Editor Kirsten Kelly
EDITOR’S COMMENT
kirsten.kelly@3smedia.co.za Managing Editor Alastair Currie Features Writer Ziyanda Majodina Head of Design Beren Bauermeister Designer Lizette Jonker Chief Sub-editor Tristan Snijders Contributors Bulelwa Batayi, Lester Goldman, Baloyi Mogau, Dan Naidoo, Okechukwu Jonathan Okonkwo, Maronel Steyn, Peter van der Merwe, Chavon Walters
Please, look up
Production & Client Liaison Manager Antois-Leigh Nepgen Production Coordinator Jacqueline Modise Distribution Manager Nomsa Masina Distribution Coordinator Asha Pursotham
I stumbled upon Adam McKay’s recent film – Don’t Look Up – in December, and kept drawing parallels to our reaction to the water crisis.
Group Sales Manager Chilomia Van Wijk Bookkeeper Tonya Hebenton Advertising Sales Hanlie Fintelman c +27 (0)67 756 3132 Hanlie.Fintelman@3smedia.co.za
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ISSN: 1990 - 8857 Annual subscription: R330 (SA rate) subs@3smedia.co.za Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. All articles herein are
copyright protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publishers. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Water Institute of Southern Africa or the publishers.
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WISA Contacts: HEAD OFFICE Tel: 086 111 9472(WISA) Fax: +27 (0)11 315 1258 Physical address: 1st Floor, Building 5, Constantia Park, 546 16th Road, Randjiespark Ext 7, Midrand Website: www.wisa.org.za BRANCHES Central Branch (Free State, Northern Cape, North West) Chairperson: Dr Leana Esterhuizen Company: Central University of Technology Tel: +27 (0)51 507 3850 Email: lesterhu@cut.ac.za Eastern Cape: Branch Contact: Dan Abrahams Company: Aurecon Tel: +27 (0)41 503 3929 Cell: +27 (0) 81 289 1624 Email: Dan.Abraham@aurecongroup.com Gauteng Branch Lead: Zoe Gebhardt Cell: +27 (0)82 3580876 Email: zoe.gebhardt@gmail.com KwaZulu-Natal Chairperson: Lindelani Sibiya Company: Umgeni Water Cell: +27 (0)82 928 1081 Email: lindelani.sibiya@umgeni.co.za Limpopo Chairperson: Mpho Chokolo Company: Lepelle Northern Water Cell: +27 (0)72 310 7576 Email: mphoc@lepelle.co.za Mpumalanga Chairperson: Lihle Mbatha (Acting) Company: Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency Tel: +27 (0)13 753 9000 Email: mbathat@iucma.co.za Western Cape Chairperson: Natasia van Binsbergen Company: AL Abbott & Associates Tel: +27 (0)21 448 6340 Cell: +27 (0)83 326 3887 Email: natasia@alabbott.co.za
T
he film revolves around the discovery made by an astronomy grad student and her professor of a comet orbiting within the solar system. The problem: it’s on a direct collision course with Earth. The other problem: no one really seems to care. They attempt to warn people. They appeal to the White House. They go to the media. Lastly, they appeal to the business leaders hoping to profit from the big ball of minerals headed our way. But people aren’t eager to hear the message, and the planetkilling comet becomes a social media debate between those who believe in science and those who believe it to be a hoax. It is a comedy about how even the most obvious of threats fails to stir collective action. It makes the point that there is nothing that can sway the public to save the world in any meaningful sense. We’re just too concerned with our own lives.
The water crisis Demand for water in South Africa is expected to rise by 17.7 billion m³ in 2030, while water supply is projected to amount to 15 billion m³ – representing a 17% gap between water supply and demand... I have read and heard these statistics so many times that when people include them in a submission or mention them in an interview, I cut them out of my articles because everyone in the water industry
Collective action
There will never be any collective action without leadership. This point is driven home in the movie where the American president initially dismisses claims by science, then decides to take action when it’s politically expedient to do so, and then changes course when there is a possibility of making money out of the impending disaster. The good news is that the South African water and sanitation sector has good leadership. I have heard only praise about our new Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu. And the industry is excited about the appointment of a permanent Director General in Dr Sean Douglas Phillips. There are solutions to this crisis. They are included in every issue of WASA. We now have to roll up our sleeves and get moving. I hope you enjoy the first issue of the year and, please, don’t hesitate to contact me with any industry news.
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knows this already. These statistics have been mentioned in numerous articles published within mainstream media. And yet ... Twitter is filled with the latest gossip around the Real Housewives of Durban.
HOW MUCH IS A WETLAND ACTUALLY WORTH? January/February 2022 • ISSN 1990-8857 • R55.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 17 No. 01
COVER OPPORTUNITY In each issue, Water&Sanitation Africa offers companies the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or service on the front cover of the magazine. Buying this position will afford the advertiser the cover story and maximum exposure. For more information, contact Hanlie Fintelman on +27 (0)67 756 3132, or email Hanlie.Fintelman@3smedia.co.za. J A N /F E B 2022
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