Civil society groups in South Africa have called for a stop to the building of new data centres until the industry has its own rules. They say Cape Town, a city short of water, could face strain from these large facilities.
South Africa already has more than 60 data centres, the most on the African continent. The sector is growing fast because of demand from artificial intelligence, AFP reported.
“It’s a direct land issue,” said Kenneth Matlawe, an activist with the Housing Assembly movement. “It affects the water and sanitation policy. It affects socio-economic development because any form of development must benefit the community,” he told AFP.
Matlawe lived for 15 years in Barcelona, an informal settlement near Cape Town International Airport. Homes there have no piped water or sanitation. Residents fetch water from a communal tap.
US company Equinix has bought land near Barcelona. The firm runs about 280 data centres around the world. The Housing Assembly, UK non-profit Foxglove and other groups are appealing the city’s decision to rezone part of that land.
The appeal was heard in October. A recommendation, which is not binding, is due within 90 days.
Equinix managing director Sandile Dube told AFP the company had no immediate plans to build on the land. He said any project would follow a process that considers the concerns of local communities.
Dube said Equinix sites use dry cooling, which uses very little water. He said the company aims to use biorenewable energy so that it does not strain local power grids.
In September, the Housing Assembly and the climate group Extinction Rebellion sent a petition to the Cape Town mayor. They asked for a halt until clear and enforceable rules are in place for the industry. Cape Town has about a dozen data centres and has approved licences for five more.
Saadiyah Kadwa, an attorney at the Legal Resources Centre who represents the groups, said the law must be clear before building speeds up. “It’s not just Cape Town, it’s the entire South Africa,” she told AFP.
In a submission to the South African Human Rights Commission, the groups said a hyperscale data centre could use more than 4.4 billion litres of water a year with standard cooling. They said this equals the yearly water use of more than 18,000 households.
Cape Town narrowly avoided a “Day Zero” water shutdown in 2018. AFP reported the city could face water restrictions from December as the El Nino weather pattern sets in.
Pitso Tsibolane, a senior lecturer in information systems at the University of Cape Town, said a 160 MW data centre could use about 1.4 billion kWh a year at full load.
Digital technologies minister Solly Malatsi said there are no specific rules for data centres. He said they must follow existing building and environmental laws and should provide their own electricity and water where possible.
The government has welcomed data centre investment and promotes South Africa as “Africa’s digital gateway”, AFP reported.
Few lasting jobs come from these sites. “Once operating, they are among the least labour-intensive buildings in the economy,” Tsibolane said. Equinix said its centre outside Johannesburg employed about 750 people during construction but now has 26 permanent staff.
Tsibolane said a legal framework should force companies to disclose their electricity demand, water use, cooling design and backup power before approval. “Serious investors are not deterred by clear rules,” he said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.