South Africa: Qwaqwa, in the central eastern part of South Africa, still without water despite ‘advanced’ project R220 million project promised by government

90 villages in Qwaqwa, in the Free State of South Africa remain experiencing a water crisis. In 2019, water supply was intermittent and in 2020 the taps ran completely dry. Qwaqwa residents have to buy water, which is sold for R500 (about 29 euros) for a thousand liters. The government had proposed a R220 million (about 12 million euros) in February 2020, to be implemented by Sedibeng Water Supply. However, the company is still waiting for funding for the project. The communities in Qwaqwa are going through a pandemic without proper water supply; as they keep on buying water by the liter, they cannot follow the Covid-19 rules and regulations due to the long queues.