Africa must seize its opportunities
SA will continue to face a shortage of water as long as the resource remains politicised and is regarded as a national asset (Features, March 8-14).
Water portfolio committee chair Mlungisi Johnson is quoted as saying water is “a natural resource that should be freely enjoyed by all”. It certainly is a natural resource, but it is not free. It has to be found, treated, stored and distributed. Like it or not, water is a business.
Cape Town would never have run out of water if supply had been in the hands of commercial enterprises operating in a competitive market and motivated by profit to keep the water flowing. It is precisely such a hard-nosed approach that keeps the world abundantly supplied with oil, copper, platinum and countless industrial minerals, all of which are much harder to find, extract and process than water.
Water falls from the sky; it sloshes around in oceans; it collects in aquifers in mind-boggling quantities — Konkola Copper Mines in Zambia pumps out 300Ml of underground water every day just to keep its mines dry. Freshwater aquifers of several cubic kilometres in volume have been found under the seabeds in coastal areas worldwide. From a pure technology perspective, the water business should be a piece of cake.
Hobbled by a scarcity mentality that blinds us to the abundance of water on the planet, we try to be good by using less water, instead of being practical and producing more. There is no shortage of water; there is only a shortage of vision.
The crisis could be ended tomorrow if water were opened up to competition, market pricing and the power of technology. Water is vital to life, but so is food. Governments (mercifully) do not control the supply of food — so why do they insist on controlling the supply of water? Robert Gentle The article by Claire Bisseker “A note of caution” refers (Features, March 8-14). It notes the many problems facing the continent, listing poor infrastructure, an unfriendly business environment, unskilled labour and corrupt leaders and bureaucratic barriers.
The countries of the sub-saharan region have neglected to develop a sound education system. An example is Ghana, which, after 61 years of self-government, languishes at the bottom rung of the learning ladder — where we have joined them.
Africa is blessed with an abundance of minerals: bauxite, copper, diamonds and gold, as well as oil, which gives rise to Afro-optimists declaring: “This century belongs to The Financial Mail will give away a bottle of whisky each month for the best letter to the editor. The editor will choose the winner and his decision will be final. Africa.” Yet without an educated workforce it cannot take charge of its economy or develop its manufacturing base.
It has been pointed out often enough that in 1968 Zambia had the same GDP as South Korea, which since then has grown into one of the wealthiest countries in Asia with strong and varied industries and worldwide markets for its goods.
Yet the leaders in sub-saharan Africa lack the vision to implement basic priorities. Education is the vital element for the progress that will make a country competitive, build employment and create wealth among its citizens.
Instead, sub-saharan leaders have focused on consolidating power for themselves and not acted in the interests of the people they were elected to serve.
There seems to be another scramble for Africa as China makes inroads, former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson came to visit and Russia offers investment in Zimbabwe. Yet this is not only for access to its mineral wealth but to try to win friends and influence.
The continent needs to take advantage of this development and build on the opportunities.