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State of the Nation in the shadow of the water tanker

Anything President Cyril Ramaphosa says in his State of the Nation Address on Thursday evening, 12 February, will be overshadowed by the new national symbol: the water tanker.

By Ferial Haffajee and Victoria O'Regan

12 Feb 2026

Source: Reuters.

Johannesburg, the country’s economic heartland, faces a near system collapse, denied by the City’s leaders but clear to its people, who took to the streets to protest this week. It’s a big city, so it attracts big attention, but its water story is repeated across the country. The water protests and the water tankers defined the state of the nation this week.

The ANC’s biggest post-apartheid gain, extending running water to people’s homes or yards, is being rolled back by patronage and wasteful spending, which has funnelled infrastructure funds into salaries or tenderpreneur pockets.

Source: Daily Maverick

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