State of the Nation in the shadow of the water tanker

Source: Reuters.

Johannesburg, the country’s economic heartland, faces a near system collapse, denied by the City’s leaders but clear to its people, who took to the streets to protest this week. It’s a big city, so it attracts big attention, but its water story is repeated across the country. The water protests and the water tankers defined the state of the nation this week.

The ANC’s biggest post-apartheid gain, extending running water to people’s homes or yards, is being rolled back by patronage and wasteful spending, which has funnelled infrastructure funds into salaries or tenderpreneur pockets.

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