South Africa's Water Crisis

Last month, October, I was away, again. I'm here, in the city, now.

We were hosted by eNdumeni Municipality, which falls under uMzinyathi District,  Dundee, kwaZulu Natal. Yes. All of that.

As soon as you get there or within its vicinity, what you will notice is the air. Well, we were greeted with a dust-storm before we even entered municipal bounds. What I'm saying is, we were greeted by the reality of the South African water crisis. Shit. It is so bad. I mean, on the second day of our stay, I was having reactions to the weather, see, my skin is already dry as is and I developed a skin irritation of sorts from it now being extra super dry, soo itchy. Then, I developed what the internet doctors call 'Dry eye syndrome'; terrible, my eyes were always watery, itchy, red, cut up, and I have big Bambi eyes so it was twice the pain of a person with smaller, more average eyes. Also, I couldn't wing my eyeliner anymore. A mess.

See how easy it was for me to throw my mini keyboard tantrum?

From when I got there, I knew I'd have to bear with the weather for only seven days then I'd be gone. The people of Dundee don't share the same luxury. This, you have to understand.

I saw the dried-up rivers and how the mud houses within rural Dundee are becoming increasingly brittle due to the lack of good rain. Flock have less to graze on. Average families in the rurals live on or slightly above the poverty line and between their houses falling apart and having no water, brick households have to pay municipal trucks R350 to fill a water tank, other households share a tank of free water.

You, reading this from your nice phone or cool laptop or fancy office have access to water. Even during a shortage, you can walk your fancy legs to a local store and buy a good bottle of water, maybe even water with some Vitamins(?). It's there, taste the privilege, drink it down.  Now, imagine you cough up dust every now and again and the nearest source of any type of water is, let's say, five kilometers, you don't have a car mmm you cant pay taxi fare -that money is for buying a loaf of bread. What must happen? Walk with your goats to town? Oh okay.

Entire communities are going days without water, Umgeni river reeks right now.

First preference is given to urban areas in anything, including water supply, this shouldn't be. We have swimming pools, and sprinklers, and fountains, you know, we aren't feeling the pinch as much as the others are.

I need you to take this water crisis more seriously.

I thank the eNdumeni Municipality and its people for hosting us. It was much enjoyed by myself the team.