Mining Indaba: SA's water crisis catches attention of industry giants

The ongoing water crisis has also caught the attention of mining giants at the Mining Indaba currently underway in Cape Town.

This comes amid outrage over dry taps in some provinces, including a strike by communities in Joburg who are demanding urgent intervention to prevent a "day zero" scenario.

Small and big businesses are also worried that the water shortages will drive profits down as operational challenges persist.

Some miners and investors said they are also keeping a sharp eye on what’s been termed as the next disaster.

ALSO READ:

Water crisis: Ministers join provincial and local leaders to address residents

Gauteng implements soft water restrictions to prevent system collapse

Gauteng implements soft water restrictions to prevent system collapse

After being hobbled by power outages and high electricity costs, the energy intensive industry is now concerned about the impact of poor water security on mining operations.

According to Deloitte’s 2023 insights on african mining, 15% of unplanned downtime at some of the country’s mines has been linked to water issues.

Senior executive at the Minerals Council Tebello Chabana: “We want to tell our colleagues from across the continent, essentially how we're working with government to solve some of these more intractable, difficult challenges, especially water in South Africa being one of the scarce resources - how we work together with our government partners to ensure that there's water for the mines, for the communities, for the benefit of all.”

In contrast, environmentalists have also raised concerns about mining operations across the country continuing to generate large volumes of contaminated water, with abandoned mines remaining a major source of untreated acid mine drainage.