SA’s Water–Energy–Food Crisis - A Triple Threat

South Africa’s water, energy and food emergencies aren’t separate, they’re tangled together. Drought and ageing infrastructure are choking water supply, coal-powered electricity is becoming unsustainable, and food is slipping further out of reach for millions. A research team has found that poor coordination and fragmented planning are making all three crises worse. Fix one without fixing the others, they say, and the system collapses again. Phemelo speaks to Research Associate Thulani Ning from the University of Fort Hare about what a smarter, integrated approach could look like and why urgent change is non-negotiable