The Cape Town Water Crisis: Drought, Politics, and Day Zero
The Story of South Africa: Empire, Apartheid, and Transformation — Fexingo HistoryPlay episode
Show notes
In 2018, Cape Town came within days of becoming the first major city in the world to run out of water. Episode 63 of The Story of South Africa unpacks the complex factors behind the crisis—from a multi-year drought and aging infrastructure to political struggles in the post-apartheid era. Lucas and Luna explore how the city's water system, built on colonial-era dams and apartheid-era planning, failed to adapt to climate change, and how residents were pushed to save every last liter. We discuss the controversial figure of Mayor Patricia de Lille, the role of the national government, and the social inequalities exposed when taps ran dry in affluent suburbs but not in townships. The episode also looks at the legacy of 'Day Zero'—how it reshaped water policy across South Africa and became a global cautionary tale about urban resilience in the age of climate change. #CapeTown #WaterCrisis #DayZero #SouthAfrica #Drought #PatriciaDeLille #ClimateChange #UrbanResilience #Infrastructure #WaterScarcity #TheewaterskloofDam #WesternCape #WaterRestrictions #SavingWater #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #SouthAfricanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
