The centrality of the water-energy-food nexus in navigating South Africa’s power crisis

Water, energy and food (agriculture) are fundamental requirements for a thriving economy, and these systems are interlinked. We see evidence of this in the disruptions to South Africa’s water supply that have already occurred. These water shortages are largely due to the power cuts that result from our country’s energy crisis, and they will inadvertently negatively affect the agricultural sector.

It is important therefore to evaluate what can be done now to prevent further breakdowns in the water, energy and food interface in the future, particularly in light of South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

The first and most evident solution is to resolve the energy crisis. However, load shedding is worse than when it first began 14 years ago. Therefore, other solutions need to be explored while measures are being taken to restore reliable power supply.

In his 2023 State of the Nation Address (Sona), President Cyril Ramaphosa re-emphasised the country’s energy plan and progress towards resolving the energy crisis. Despite many critiques, it remains possible that this plan will result in reduced power cuts over time once fully implemented.

Second, South Africa should aim for an integrated water, energy and agriculture policy as the country makes plans for the energy sector. Policy actions in one of these areas impact on the other two sectors since these three are inextricably linked: water is a requirement for energy production; energy is needed during water processing and distribution; energy is essential to access water resources through pumping; water is used for irrigation of crops and drinking for livestock.

The management of energy in isolation, without adequate planning for the water and the agricultural sectors, will exacerbate the socioeconomic challenges associated with their scarcity, such as the spread of diseases and poverty. 

Read in Daily Maverick: “Six SA energy crisis solutions happening now, or (hopefully) soon”

Ramaphosa further outlined a plan to ensure water security by investing in major infrastructure across the country, including increasing the capacity of existing dams and building new ones. South Africa is a water-scarce country with uneven rainfall distribution, and evaporation rates that exceed precipitation due to an extreme climate.

Further, apartheid-era inequalities between urban and rural water infrastructure persist. Investment in water infrastructure remains key to averting water scarcity across the country.

Some of the water projects announced by the President have been in the pipeline for years with delays (phase two of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project), and some were proposed many years ago and are now scheduled to start in the next financial year (Umzimvubu Water Project). If these projects are to succeed, then South Africa needs to ensure that timelines for delivering them are closely monitored.

A close eye on interdependencies