Knysna water crisis ‘man-made and avoidable’, says DA

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has described the worsening water crisis in Knysna as a ‘man-made but avoidable’ disaster, accusing the municipality’s political leadership of denial and inaction despite repeated warnings.

Speaking on 702/CapeTalk, Ryan Smith, the DA’s constituency head in Knysna, said residents are now paying the price for poor governance.

“This is absolutely a political crisis,” Smith said. “When residents are facing a water shortage, water is a basic human right. We really need to work together in crisis mode, but there is a problem from the top down.”

‘Municipality dragged its feet despite warnings’

Smith said the Knysna municipality ignored warnings from the Western Cape Government and the Garden Route District Municipality.

“What we’ve seen in Knysna’s case is that the municipality has been dragging its feet and has been in a constant state of denial for the last few months,” he said.

Knysna is currently governed by an African National Congress-led coalition with the Patriotic Alliance, after the PA exited a coalition with the DA in 2022.

Infrastructure neglect and water losses

According to Smith, years of neglected infrastructure have worsened the crisis, with Knysna losing up to 50% of its water through leaks.

“Knysna now is losing up to 50% of its water from leaky pipes. That’s a big issue that needs to be addressed,” he said.

He claimed that after the ANC-led coalition took over, infrastructure budgets were reprioritised, with little clarity on where funds meant for pump stations and upgrades had gone.

“There are very many question marks as to what the spending priorities have been under the current administration,” Smith added.

Town could run out of water within days

Smith warned that Knysna could be days away from running out of water entirely.

“The estimation is that the town will run out of water within the next week to a few days,” he said.

He said the Garden Route District Municipality and the Western Cape government were moving to fast-track disaster declarations, which would unlock provincial support and water tankers.

Emergency water tankers and disaster response

While political accountability would come later, Smith said the immediate focus had to be on residents’ access to water.

“The most important thing now is ensuring that residents have access to water. That’s a basic human right, regardless of political affiliation,” he said.

The DA, he added, was preparing to assist with the distribution of water once tankers arrive, and to help prevent conflict over scarce resources.

Comparison with George highlights governance gap

Smith contrasted Knysna’s situation with that of neighbouring George, which he said receives less rainfall but is not facing a similar crisis.

“Because it has addressed leakages and pipes, and because it has an adequate water management strategy, it’s not facing even near similar circumstances as Knysna,” he said.

He warned that residents should remember the crisis when political accountability comes into focus.

“There should be political consequences for the inept management of local municipalities,” Smith said.

For more information, listen to Smith using the audio player below: