In January 2017, the Zululand Observer reported that the seawater desalination plant at Alkantstrand near Richards Bay was already supplying water ahead of its planned commissioning on 1 February. According to Muneka Paradzai of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), output stood at about 3,500 m³/d and was set to reach about 10,000 m³/d, enough for Meerensee, Mzingazi and Mbonambi. DWS called it South Africa's largest desalination plant. Mhlathuze Water was the likely operator.
The report showed how South Africa built desalination as emergency supply within a few months during the drought, while questions on environmental review and brine discharge remained open at first.