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06 October 2020 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Dr Kgosi Mocwagae explored the Qwaqwa water crisis because at a young age, he could not understand why the community in which he grew up faced so many water challenges despite a high presence of water from rivers, consistent rainfall, and streams bursting from the ground.

Dr Kgosi Mocwagae, Programme Director and Lecturer: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, received his PhD qualification during the October virtual graduation ceremonies.

His study, titled Exploring the Qwaqwa water crisis for effective planning post-apartheid, focuses on the water crisis in the Qwaqwa area, which commenced on 1 January 2016 and saw people without access to clean drinking water from their taps. The community had to turn to alternative means, such as collecting water from government-contracted water tankers, rivers, emergency hydrants, and wells.

Understanding the water crisis

Dr Mocwagae says the reason why he took up this study was because at a young age, he could not understand why the community in which he grew up faced so many water challenges despite a high presence of water from rivers, consistent rainfall, and streams bursting from the ground.
 
In this study, he aimed to explore the history of water policy in South Africa, together with the water crisis in Qwaqwa. He also documented the lived experiences of the affected Qwaqwa communities to determine the effect of not having access to clean drinking water in terms of quality of water, time, money, and distance travelled, to name just a few. 

Dr Mocwagae furthermore assessed interventions by various actors during the Qwaqwa water crisis, which included accessing water from municipally contracted water tankers, streams and rivers, rainwater harvesting, donations, paying for delivery of water, boreholes, and emergency water hydrants intended for fire breakouts. He also investigated the implications of the Qwaqwa water crisis for effective planning in post-apartheid South Africa.

He states: “Despite reports from the government that the Qwaqwa water crisis was an issue from 2015 and a result of drought, the study proved differently.” 

Water crisis due to poor planning

“Firstly, the water crisis was a cumulative effect of poor water planning since the founding of Qwaqwa as a homeland in 1974. Further to this, Qwaqwa has not been able to sufficiently provide water to the community from 1974 to date.”

Dr Mocwagae continues: “A major contributing factor to the water crisis was that the three dams in the area were still performing their primary functions as established during apartheid. Planning would have to be done to reprioritise water to Qwaqwa.

He also found that the municipality had not planned and invested in the maintenance and development of water infrastructure to provide water. 

The study was also able to demonstrate that there is a form of socialisation in planning that does not prioritise the community of Qwaqwa. In this community, more than 50% of the people live in poverty. According to Dr Mocwagae’s findings, the idea exists that the community first needs to be viewed a worthy economic contributor in order for them to benefit from water that originates from Qwaqwa. 

“Alternative means of accessing water and water-use education are also needed as part of the process of resolving the Qwaqwa water crisis,” says Dr Mocwagae. 

News Archive

“Arts Festival” Rally promises to be great fun!
2008-06-17

The annual Amazing Rainbow Rally, presented by the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Department of Paediatrics and Child Health and UFS Marketing, will take place on Friday, 11 July 2008 during the Volksblad Arts Festival on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

Teams will start at 12:00 at the Protea Hotel in Nelson Mandela Drive, before proceeding to the campus. This year’s rally will have a new twist, namely that all the checkpoints will be on the campus.

Corporate companies in Bloemfontein and departments at the UFS may still enter as there is still place for four teams. A team consists of two team members who must work together to complete a route with various checkpoints. Teams must complete tasks at every checkpoint to be able to proceed to the next checkpoint. The team, who finishes first after having successfully completed all the tasks, is the winner. Last year, Pieter Skein and Steyn Strauss of Naudés Attorneys were the winners of the rally.

The “Arts Festival” Rally promises to challenge teams physically, mentally and even artistically. Festival goers will also have the opportunity to see how their favourite team is doing.

The rally will be presented for the fourth time in 2008. The main goal of this year’s rally is to raise funds for the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health’s “Beds of Hope” Campaign. This campaign seeks to increase the number of intensive care beds in the paediatric and neonatal wards. Currently, around 250 children and babies in central South Africa cannot receive the life-saving care they need because of a lack of facilities.

Enquiries about the rally can be directed to Ms Adéle van Aswegen at 051 401 3535 or Ms Ilse Smalberger at 051 401 2415.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za  
17 June 2008
 

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