Activism runs in Ferrial Adam’s blood. At the age of 11 she took part in her first protest. Now that same quest for equitable social justice fuels her work as the spokesperson for civil society’s water protests in Johannesburg.
As executive director of WaterCAN, an initiative to build citizen science activism that empowers civil society through water testing and monitoring, Adam is fully aware of just how important it is to give ordinary people power over their water supply.
As a young girl, she got her first taste of teargas at a protest in Johannesburg. Backed by her family, all activists themselves, she threw herself into the quest for justice for all in South Africa. A protest in Johannesburg South saw her beaten by police, resulting in a broken nose and “blood everywhere”.
In high school she agitated for democratic elections for the student body, and in grade 9 was elected to her school’s SRC.
“We targeted local issues at each school. Excessive corporal punishment, dysfunctional toilets. We used these issues to mobilise,” she recalls.
In the late 1980s, when she was in grade 11, she was selected to join members of the Transvaal Indian Congress and the Natal Indian Congress to travel to Lusaka to meet with the ANC in exile — the youngest member of the delegation.
She holds a BSc (geology) degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MPhil in environmental management from the University of Cape Town and a PhD from the University of Johannesburg, where she explored the topics of citizen science and environmental justice in South Africa’s water sector.
She made her study choices because she wanted a job where she did not have to work for the state, and she also didn’t want to be office-bound. The geology degree was the first step on the road, but after a presentation by a mining executive interspersed with pictures of semi-naked women, she chose a different path.
“When I complained about the pictures, I was told to get used to it. At that stage women were still not allowed to work underground, so I decided to move on from that.”
As 1994 dawned, Adam realised she wanted to be part of the new democracy. “The ANC were looking for graduates to deploy. I was sent to Egypt for diplomatic training by the department of foreign affairs and then to Mexico for three years.”
But disillusionment set in; the people she was in awe of treated others with disrespect and seemed more interested in their own personal advancement, she says. After eight years away from Johannesburg and missing her family and friends, she returned and threw herself into the fight for environmental justice. She discovered that science is important for environmental justice when air samples taken from the communities around Vereeniging proved that pollution was industrial, not the result of people burning firewood.
“The question was, can we do it for water?”
People need to be part of the solution. We need everyone to think creatively and together. We need stronger leadership, better management and accountability. You cannot dismiss the lived reality of people in this city
— Ferrial Adam
The answer was a resounding yes. WaterCAN has developed a simple, inexpensive water-testing kit that tests for bacteria, pH levels and other indicators of water quality. The kits are user-friendly, reliable and widely used in schools, communities and by volunteer water warriors.
Residents of Tulbagh in the Western Cape recently complained that their tap water was brown and smelly. The local municipality denied the claims. WaterCAN assisted with community-led sampling and conducted preliminary water-quality tests. Three samples tested positive for total coliform bacteria, a sign of contamination and a clear indicator that the water was unsafe to drink. The municipality has since apologised for the water quality and implemented corrective measures.
These initiatives have allowed ordinary citizens to get involved in the water crisis across the country. In Johannesburg, where years of neglect and mismanagement have seen the city’s water systems come close to collapse, Adam has taken a leading role as a civic spokesperson.
She is backed by an army of concerned residents, community organisations, resident associations and youth groups who have taken the fight for access to water straight to the mayor’s office and onto the streets of the city.
When Melville, Westdene and Parktown West erupted in anger last week over a prolonged absence of water, Adam was there with the protesters on the streets and on water forums, giving advice and guidance. She frequently goes toe-to-toe with city leaders, national politicians and Johannesburg Water executives on television and radio.
She does not believe that holding the government accountable is adversarial. She believes strongly that the government cannot be expected to fix everything.
“People need to be part of the solution. We need everyone to think creatively and together. We need stronger leadership, better management and accountability. You cannot dismiss the lived reality of people in this city,” she says.
“We need to rethink planning and development. The water system is not broken in isolation. It’s a holistic problem — roads, health, planning. We don’t need shouting; we should aim for a collaborative approach. It’s not a party political issue; it’s an issue for all the people.”
When there is time to unwind, Adam dances (she was a ballroom and salsa teacher) and finds joy with family and friends. And she’s a sucker for a good burger.
- This story is produced by Our City News, a nonprofit newsroom that serves the people of Johannesburg
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