We have all felt it, those February afternoons where it is so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk in seconds.
While a single hot day is just the weather, the increasing frequency and intensity of these heatwaves point to something bigger: a changing climate.
Climate change is often framed as a distant problem, something about melting polar ice caps and endangered penguins. But in 2026, the reality is hitting much closer to home.
This is no longer an abstract environmental issue; it is a story about our water, our food, and our future.
Climate change can be thought of as the Earth running a persistent fever. Just as the human body struggles to function normally under prolonged heat stress, the planet’s systems begin to shift in unstable ways. Weather patterns lose their rhythm, heatwaves appear out of season, rainfall becomes erratic, and droughts are followed by sudden flooding. Nowhere is this more evident than in the water cycle, where periods of prolonged dryness are interrupted by short bursts of intense rainfall that overwhelm infrastructure and ecosystems.
In South Africa, these changes are not theoretical. Climate change is already placing significant pressure on agriculture, water resources, biodiversity, and the broader economy. Increasingly frequent heatwaves and floods are disrupting agricultural production and livelihoods. Even something as familiar as rooibos tea is being affected. In the Cederberg, rising temperatures and declining rainfall are forcing farmers to rely more on wild rooibos — a harder but less predictable alternative, as cultivated crops struggle to survive beyond five years instead of the usual twelve.
But the impact extends beyond farms. In cities such as Durban and Johannesburg, street food vendors are reporting reduced working hours due to extreme heat. It is becoming physically unsafe to remain in the sun for long periods, and food spoils much quicker under these conditions. These are everyday examples of how climate change is quietly reshaping economic activity and livelihoods.
Water remains at the centre of this crisis. South Africa is already a water-scarce country, and climate change is intensifying that reality.
Prolonged droughts, shifting rainfall patterns, and increased evaporation are placing growing strain on water supply systems. In some areas, this is beginning to resemble a form of “water shedding”, where access becomes inconsistent and uncertain. These pressures are not only environmental, but they also directly affect households, communities, and economic stability.
At the same time, responses to climate change are beginning to reshape other systems, particularly energy. South Africa is undergoing a transition from a heavy reliance on coal toward a more diversified energy mix. The increasing presence of solar panels, including those visible on university campuses reflect both as a response to climate pressures and a shift toward more sustainable energy production.
Yet large-scale transitions alone are not enough. Change also happens through small, everyday actions. Reporting a leaking tap, for example, can prevent the loss of over 30 litres of water a day. Switching off lights in empty classrooms reduces unnecessary energy consumption and, indirectly, reliance on fossil fuels. These actions may seem minor, but collectively they form part of a broader response to a growing challenge.
Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is already shaping how we live, work, and use resources. The question is not whether it affects us, but how we choose to respond.
The decisions we make today, individually and collectively, determine the kind of future we inherit.
In the next article in this series, we shift our focus from the impact of climate change to a less visible but equally critical challenge: the water we lose before it even reaches our taps. We will explore how aging infrastructure, leaks, and inefficiencies within our systems contribute to South Africa’s water crisis and why improving how we manage existing water resources may be just as important as securing new supply.
At the University of Zululand, hydrology students and researchers continue to study these challenges and work toward solutions that will help secure South Africa’s water future.
Article and picture supplied by Andrew J. Hall and Andile Ntanzi, staff in the Department of Hydrology
