South Africa: rush to water-thirsty data centres raises concern

The growing number of data centres in Cape Town is concerning residents’ and environmental groups as South Africa seeks to become the continent’s “digital gateway.” In Barcelona, near land acquired by Equinix, residents still lack running water and sanitation and sometimes travel long distances to collect water. Kenneth Matlawe of Housing Assembly says people can wait up to two hours to fill a 20-litre bucket. Advocacy groups are calling for a moratorium on new data centres while a regulatory framework is developed that considers water resources and local communities’ needs.