In February 2018, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that South Africa had declared the drought threatening Cape Town's water supply a national disaster. Water minister Nomvula Mokonyane asked Umgeni Water of KwaZulu-Natal to possibly help Cape Town procure a desalination plant for the V&A Waterfront. ZAR 70 million (US$5.9 million) had been released for three Cape provinces. For the Waterfront, QFS and Osmoflo were to supply a 2,000 m³/day seawater reverse osmosis unit in seven containers, rented for at least 24 months.
The report showed how an acute drought in South Africa led within weeks to rented containerised plants, while permanent desalination still had to be procured.