DEAR Editor,
Butthead’s ‘Water pistols at dawn’ is an opportunity to critically reimagine local politics as well as a missed opportunity to alert communities about the complexity of managing scarce water resources while expanding its infrastructural reach to all.
One: The problem of divisive and deadly factionalism within the ruling party is symptomatic of the character flaws in broader society. This does not exonerate political parties. South Africa continues to be a divided country and the recent crime statistics tell a deadly tale.
What explains this? Is it government incapacity, poverty, inequality, unemployment, the rural-urban divide, institutionalised racism and sexism, political party affiliation or white monopoly capital, political thuggery?
There is no simple answer, as all these contribute to the unhealthy status quo.
What is to be done and how? Ideally, Bevis Fairbrother is right to proclaim ‘so shoulders to the wheel, chaps, and let’s get the coast moving along together’. However, in order to really ‘move along together’ we need to know, agree and selflessly address what divides us as South Africans. Without that altruistic ethical basis, broader transformation is elusive.
Every day is an opportunity to reimagine a better Ugu and South Africa. Let’s do it.
Two: The missed opportunity by Mr Fairbrother is that he omits addressing his concluding query ‘But is there water at the end of the tunnel?’ In terms of the recent research report titled ‘Parched Prospects’ by the Institute for Security Studies and the Water Commission, South Africa is water scarce and, in 20 years, water supply will not meet water demand.
So, in a context of scarcity, building new and renewing old tunnels and pipes of water may not be the long-term solution to quench our thirst. Therefore, Ugu municipality, with the media, must strengthen communications with citizens about the importance of conserving water as a strategy to win the looming water wars. Let’s rehabilitate politics and conserve water – our future depends on it.
NDABA MZELEMU
Bhobhoyi
DEAR Ndaba,
You hit the nail on the head. We are all too careless when it comes to something as precious as water. An old friend of mine, the late Frederick van Zyl Slabbert, told me at least 15 years ago that the ‘revolution’ in this country would not come at the barrel of a gun. He predicted it would come when one turned on the tap and nothing came out. This was only a few years after our country won democracy with very few bullets being fired at that time, thanks to Nelson Mandela, Chris Hani, FW de Klerk and many others.
But my friend’s prediction might well come true if we don’t take water conservation seriously. The real fight is over water. On the bright side, water has no ‘race’ so a smart politician could use it as a unifying factor. After all, none of us can survive without water… so let’s work together to solve the problem.
BEVIS FAIRBROTHER
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