Day zero - []

Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, said that her focus has now shifted from preventing Cape Town from running out of water, to overseeing plans for the day the taps run dry – and the weeks that follow.

In a column for the Daily Maverick, Zille said that Day Zero (which is currently slated for 21 April) has moved from the realm of possibility to a probability, echoing similar sentiments made by Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille in the last week.

“The province has a mandate to manage provincial disasters,” Zille said.

“The question that dominates my waking hours now is: When Day Zero arrives, how do we make water accessible and prevent anarchy? And if there is any chance of still preventing it, what is it we can do?”

Following the city’s most recent oversight discussions, Zille outlined the current plans for when the big day arrives.


Zille suggested that local residents who can afford it might well book into hotel rooms that have water security and spare bed capacity, for the duration of the crisis, where their water needs would be met independently of municipal water