Call for expression of interest - Water unconference

South Africa has huge water problems. Unless you’ve been living in the desert, you should be aware that we are in the midst of a severe drought, with some sources calling it the worst since 1982.

Five provinces, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Free State, have already been declared disaster areas, with food security threatened as affected farms are unable to harvest crops or feed their livestock. It is also forecast that food prices will suffer a significant increase should the drought continue.

To address this issue, Code for South Africa in partnership with the Department of Public Service and Administration, the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation, Microsoft and the Gauteng Innovation Hub are hosting an unconference later this month in Johannesburg, focusing on the effects of the drought and general water and sanitation issues.

The event will take the shape of a one-day think tank attended by leaders in government, civil society, the private sector and academia to identify some of the most pressing water issues and come up with possible solutions.

The aim of the unconference is to produce a briefing document outlining these issues for the general public coupled with a national challenge for proposals on how to address them.

Attendance to this event is by invitation only. If you feel that you should be part of this conversation, go to this form and leave your details as an expression of interest. Alternatively, if you know of someone who should be there, leave their details and we’ll get in touch with them.