South Korea is experiencing the strongest heatwave in its recorded history. Local officials in North Gyeongsang Province are using unmanned aerial vehicle technology to broadcast weather warnings to farmers working in remote fields. This measure is aimed at protecting workers from illnesses caused by exposure to high temperatures.
Water problems are no longer solely an environmental issue in Mzansi; they are becoming one of the most serious threats to the country's food system. This was stated at the Water and Food Indaba event, which recently took place at the Two Oceans aquarium in Cape Town. Farmers, researchers, politicians, and community leaders discussed lessons learned from the 'Day Zero' period, analyzing how water scarcity continues to affect agriculture, food production, and the lives of communities across the country.
Community organizer and feminist activist Anriette Abrahamse from Bonteheuwel on Cape Flats noted that the problem facing many working-class people is not a lack of solutions, but a lack of political will. She stated that the government knows perfectly well what needs to be done, but this will is absent, arguing that community concerns about basic services are too often ignored.
Referencing the quarantine experience during Covid-19, Abrahamse explained how residents turned to community gardens after it became clear that food parcels were not a sustainable solution. They occupied unused land, relying on the older generation to teach the youth farming and reviving traditional water-saving methods to sustain the gardens under limited resources.
According to Nkosinathi Swartbuy from Movement4Care, water is not just an environmental issue, but an issue of inequality. Swartbuy argued that access to water, much like access to housing, is still determined by apartheid-era spatial planning and economic inequality. He emphasized that where people live continues to determine the quality of services they receive, from water supply and sanitation to life-improving opportunities.
Citing the Constitutional Court's victory in the Tafelberg housing complex case, Swartbuy stated that the government is responsible for using state lands and resources to gradually realize the constitutional rights of citizens. He noted: 'Water, like housing, has become a commodity. Access to water is determined not only by your race, but by your class.' He also stressed that the fight for water is inseparable from the fight for decent housing and basic services. Swartbuy warned that if the issue of inequality is not resolved, many communities will continue to face obstacles in accessing water, sanitation, and food security, even while living in one of the country's wealthiest cities.
Independent filmmaker Miki Redelinghuys recounted that the fight for water during the Covid-19 quarantine exposed inequalities that many Cape Town residents faced long before the pandemic. Speaking at the Water and Food Indaba, Redelinghuys shared insights from filming the Reclaim the City movement in her film Mother City. She recalled how volunteers weekly delivered five-litre containers of water to settlements in the city center after authorities cut off water and electricity, demonstrating how communities stepped up where the state failed.
Reflecting on the strongest moment of the documentary, Redelinghuys quoted Nkosinathi Swartbuy from Movement4Care: 'Covid did not create inequality. It did not create the abuse of black bodies. It simply revealed what already existed.' Redelinghuys noted that the pandemic highlighted the sharp contrast between different communities: 'While people in the suburbs exchanged recipes, people in townships worried about where they would get their next meal.'
Even though the load shedding system has concluded, nearly 400 public schools in South Africa have experienced prolonged or complete power outages over the past two years. The Minister of Basic Education, Siswive Govu, reported in Parliament that 397 educational institutions were affected between April 2024 and March 2026.
Although South Africa has made progress in improving electricity accessibility, hundreds of public schools have faced extended or total power interruptions in the last two years, highlighting persistent challenges within the national power supply system.
According to data presented by the Minister of Basic Education, Siswive Govu, the total number of affected public schools was 397 between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2026. Stated causes for these disruptions include infrastructure damage, transformer failures, vandalism, power supply interruptions, and billing disputes.
These figures were disclosed in a written parliamentary response by EFF Member of Parliament Lathiti Arries, who requested information from Govu regarding the number of schools affected by prolonged or complete outages, as well as the measures taken to ensure reliable energy supply.
Arries noted that over the past two years, several schools across the country operated without electricity for extended periods, with some having no power whatsoever for long stretches.
Govu clarified that the data is based on information provided by provincial education departments, which reported that 397 public schools experienced prolonged or complete power supply interruptions during the reporting period.
The highest number of affected schools was recorded in the Eastern Cape, which accounted for 324 out of the 397 affected institutions, meaning more than eight out of every ten registered cases nationwide were in this province.
Gauteng recorded 19 affected schools, followed by Free State and Mpumalanga, each with 13 affected schools, as well as KwaZulu-Natal with 12 schools. Limpopo, North Cape, and West Cape reported five affected schools each, while North West reported one.
Govu cautioned that this statistic should not be interpreted as the total number of schools left without electricity. She explained: 'This figure refers to specific schools reported by Provincial Education Departments as affected during the reporting period, not individual outage incidents.' She added that the nature and duration of the interruptions varied across different schools and provinces, and some Provincial Education Departments indicated that the outages were intermittent.
This data comes amid government statements claiming that South Africa has succeeded in stabilizing electricity supply after many years of planned blackouts, with the focus shifting to strengthening the reliability of the entire power supply system.
During his 2026 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the government had 'ended load shedding' and that the country had built a more resilient energy system. Ramaphosa emphasized: 'Having left load shedding behind, we must transform our energy system to ensure long-term energy security.'
However, the government acknowledged that improvements in power generation do not automatically solve problems arising in local distribution networks. Energy Minister Kgosiyenso Ramokgopa previously pointed to difficulties affecting distribution systems, including pressure on infrastructure, vandalism, and illegal connections, asserting that some interruptions are related to network issues rather than a lack of generating capacity.
He stated: 'It is not a generation problem. It is a localized network protection measure.' Govu's parliamentary response reflects similar issues at the school level: provincial education departments report that power interruptions were caused by electrical infrastructure failures, transformer damage, power supply interruptions, vandalism, theft, billing disputes, and schools using shared transformers with neighboring communities.
The Minister also noted that not all recorded cases are due to the absence of electrical infrastructure in schools. Govu explained: 'Not all recorded cases arise from the absence of electrical infrastructure in the school. In many cases, the school had an established connection to the grid but experienced interruptions caused by failures or disputes in the external power supply system.'
According to regulations concerning minimum uniform standards for public school infrastructure, every public school must have adequate power supply compliant with applicable laws and sufficient for the school's needs. Acceptable supply types include grid electricity, generators, solar, and wind energy.
Provincial education departments reported several response measures, including installing solar panels where possible, providing temporary generators until permanent solutions are developed. They also engaged with municipalities, Eskom, and other power suppliers to restore supply, repair damaged infrastructure, and ensure dedicated transformers in schools affected by shared infrastructure use.
Reliable electricity is critical for learning in schools, operating computer labs, internet connectivity, administrative systems, safety infrastructure, and other daily operations. Govu stressed that provincial education departments remain responsible for planning, implementing, and maintaining school infrastructure, while the Department of Basic Education sets national norms and standards and monitors their compliance.
After receiving the new donation, Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment announced on social media that the photovoltaic panels will be used to supply solar energy in various locations, including health centers and medical emergencies, kindergartens, shelters for children without family support, and banks.
The Ministry clarified that the panels, provided by China's International Development Cooperation Agency, have greater capacity than those donated last year. They reach 3.6 kilowatt-hours (kWh) and double the energy storage capacity to 14.3 kWh, which improves efficiency and suitability for the Cuban energy system.
Oscar Pérez-Oliva, Deputy Prime Minister and manager of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, expressed gratitude for the Chinese government's 'permanent support' to the Caribbean country's energy sector, emphasizing its 'special significance in the very complex scenario the country is going through.'
For his part, Hua Xin, China's ambassador in Havana, stated that these aid equipment represents 'a gift from the Chinese people to practically help improve the well-being of the Cuban population.'
Last November, the Chinese government had already sent another 5,000 sets of photovoltaic panels to residences located on the eastern end of the island, affected by the strong Hurricane Melissa.
Cuba has faced a severe energy crisis since mid-2024, resulting from an obsolete energy system and decades of lack of investment. This situation was intensified in January due to the oil embargo imposed by the United States.
The Cuban government recognizes that the energy situation is 'critical' and 'extremely tense,' with seven total blackouts recorded on the national grid this year. Most of the thermal power plants, responsible for 40% of energy generation, were built in the 1960s and 1970s, and daily, more than half of the 16 generating units are not operational due to failures or maintenance.
The main strategy of the Cuban government to overcome this crisis lies in solar energy, especially with Chinese support. To this end, a program has been initiated aimed at building 92 solar parks across the island, with an estimated total installed capacity of about 2,000 megawatts.
