Cape Town Taps Run Dry: Government’s Willful Ignorance Exacerbates the Problem

Abstract

The water crisis of Cape Town, South Africa, in the mid-2010s revealed serious governmental corruption and damage, which ultimately had serious consequences on the outcome of the drought. The government implemented the Critical Water Shortage Disaster Plan in an attempt to fix the problem, but it ultimately exposed several institutional issues at a governmental level concerning leadership and misconduct. This paper seeks to highlight the issues brought on by the drought and the governmental failures and problems that were exacerbated by this national emergency.