Concerns over scarce water as digital infrastructure expands in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG (AP) – South African civil rights groups are calling for a halt to the construction of extra data centers in the country until the apply of scarce water, land and electricity resources has been investigated.

What happened

With South Africa positioning itself as Africa's main data hub and U.S. Technology firms like Amazon, Microsoft and Equinix increasingly setting up digital infrastructure in the country, civil society organizations have raised the alarm concerning the lack of transparency around the projects.

Meanwhile, the country's rights watchdog, the South African Human Rights Commission, informed The Associated Press that it has received over 250 submissions from interested groups after it called on input in May this year.

According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the country hosts 70% of Africa's data center capacity, and the administration has identified this as an opportunity in the global digital economy, inviting more tech businesses to build digital infrastructure in the country.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around concerns over scarce water as digital infrastructure expands in South Africa point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.