Former Australian minister to discuss SA water crisis

Water Shortage South Africa along with global water expert Professor Anthony Turton and former minister of Victoria Professor John Thwaite are to have a discussion centred around the Cape Town water crisis.

Water Shortage South Africa CEO, Benoit Le Roy in a statement on Monday said Turton warns of the real estate bubble that could well burst in Cape Town as a result of poor leadership, both locally, and nationally during the water crisis.

According to Turton, the crisis is nowhere near over and is a result of a “dilapidated infrastructure” and a lack of leadership and vision.

Turton recently at a high water summit in Melbourne said: “In direct contrast to the South African reality, the state of Victoria, and the city of Melbourne is booming, despite profound water constraints. Capital is flowing into the region because investor confidence is high. Desalination provides baseflow to the city, enabling the dams to be kept above 60 percent.

“This creates the opportunity for ecosystem restoration, but it also gives confidence to those striving to grow the economy and create well-paid jobs. The reason for the difference is leadership and vision.”

Upon his return to SA, he said that the narrative that it is “too expensive” and the Australians “got it wrong” is far from the truth and that SA politicians are trying to defend their positions on desalination.

“The politicians got it horribly wrong here in SA and for some reason rejected desalination – the very thing that saved Melbourne specifically, so I, along with thousands of other people worldwide, really look forward to hearing the truth and learning from it. Let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth so to say – facts are our friends,” Le Roy said.

– African News Agency (ANA)

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