South Africa AI data centre fight grows

In Cape Town, South Africa, activists are asking the government to press pause on new AI data centres. They say these big computer buildings use too much water and power, in a city where many people still struggle to get both.

Why activists are worried

The fight is focused on an area called Barcelona, an informal settlement near Cape Town International Airport. In Barcelona, homes are small metal structures with no piped water or toilets. Residents fetch water from a communal tap. Some pay boys a few rand to carry bottles for them.

Near Barcelona, US company Equinix, which runs about 280 data centres worldwide, bought land. The City of Cape Town rezoned that land, which could allow a hyperscale data centre.

This worried the Housing Assembly (HA) movement, a housing rights group, plus UK non-profit Foxglove and climate group Extinction Rebellion.

According to AFP report published by Bangkok Post on Oct 27, 2026 in "S.African activists push back on data centre rush" and QNC News on Oct 28, 2026 in "Cape Town Groups Seek Pause on Data Centres Over Water Fears", activists say:

1. Land should benefit the community first. "It's a direct land issue," said activist Kenneth Matlawe, who lived in Barcelona for 15 years. "Any development must benefit the community."

1. No clear rules exist. South Africa has more than 60 data centres, the most in Africa. Cape Town alone has about a dozen and has approved 5 more. But there is no dedicated law for data centres. Activists petitioned the Cape Town mayor in September asking for a halt until "clearly defined, enforceable regulations" exist.

1. Water and power risk. In a submission to the South African Human Rights Commission, they warned a hyperscale centre with normal cooling could use more than 4.4 billion litres of water a year - equal to 18,000 households. Cape Town almost ran dry in 2018 during its Day Zero crisis and may face restrictions again from December due to El Nino.

The appeal against the rezoning was heard this month. A non-binding recommendation is due within 90 days. Equinix Managing Director Sandile Dube said they have no immediate plans to build there and that their facilities use dry cooling with little water.

Why AI centres need so much power and water - in very simple words

Think of a data centre as a giant warehouse full of computers called servers. These servers run 24 hours to store your photos, run TikTok, ChatGPT, WhatsApp, Netflix.

Two problems:

Power: AI needs more power than normal apps. Training one AI model is like running hundreds of houses at once. A 160 MW data centre at full load could use about 1.4 billion kWh a year, said Pitso Tsibolane, senior lecturer at University of Cape Town, in the AFP report. South Africa already has load-shedding history, so activists ask where this power will come from.

Water: Servers get very hot. They need cooling, like a car engine needs radiator water. Old-style cooling uses huge amounts of water that evaporates. New style dry cooling uses air and little water - which Equinix says it uses - but many centres still use water cooling because it is cheaper.

What this debate means for African tech growth

South Africa government wants to be "Africa's digital gateway". It is courting more investment. Big Tech wants Africa for data centres because data is growing fast, and Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are hubs.

But this Cape Town case shows the tension:

• If Africa builds too fast without rules, communities will suffer water and electricity problems. Trust will break.

• If it regulates well - forcing companies to disclose power and water use, use dry cooling, bring their own solar power, and create jobs for locals - it can grow clean.

Minister of Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi said currently centres must follow existing building and environmental laws and prioritise self-provision of power and water, but no special data centre law yet.

For rest of Africa, including Nigeria and Kenya building their own centres, Cape Town is a lesson: ask early how much water and power a centre will use, and who benefits.