Financial Times puts South Africa’s infrastructure crisis on spotlight

In addition to electricity blackouts, international media is increasingly deploring South Africa’s infrastructure dysfunctions. Financial Times zoomed on water cuts in South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg.

“The prolonged outage that has left taps dry across a swath of Johannesburg and the wider Gauteng province signals a deepening crisis in the water system during one of the hottest months of the year,” the Financial Times wrote.

Water and electricity cuts should serve as a reminder to South Africans of the legacy of the rule of the ANC which is bracing for general elections, in which its vote share is expected to drop.

The water and electricity cuts hit South Africa’s economy which lost its status as Africa’s largest economy to Nigeria.

The government and water authorities “have not spent the required money on maintenance for about a decade — now they’re really just chasing their tails,” the Financial Times said, citing an expert.

While the cost of water cuts is yet to be determined, electricity blackouts cost the economy 50 million dollars daily, the paper said.