Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane says Cape Town’s Day Zero can be avoi-ded and discussions are under way to source funds to solve the water crisis. The national government is collaborating with the city to avoid taps running dry, which is projected to be on April 12 due to an extraordinarily dry season. Speaking at the Cape Town Press Club on Sunday, Mokonyane said her department had mandated the Trans Caledon Authority to enter into talks with commercial banks and development finance institutions. She said R750m was required, of which about R400m would go towards a desalination plant to convert sea water and deliver 10-million litres daily for consumption. Mokonyane has appointed Umgeni Water to install the department-backed desalination plant in Cape Town. This contradicts a private process already under way. In a letter from Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille to Mokonyane, which was leaked on social media on Sunday, De Lille urged the minister to stall Umgeni’s invo...
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