The artificial intelligence (AI) boom is often discussed in terms of innovation, productivity and economic growth. A new United Nations report suggests it should also be discussed in terms of water. According to the report, produced by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), the water footprint associated with the world’s growing network of AI-driven data centres could meet the annual domestic needs of all 1.3 billion people living in sub-Saharan Africa. The report finds that every prompt, image and video is backed by vast networks of data centres, cooling systems, electricity grids, water withdrawals, land use and mineral extraction. This material footprint is growing at extraordinary speed. “One of the most consequential dimensions of AI that remains comparatively under-examined is its environmental footprint and the justice implications that follow,” the report said, arguing that AI is not merely software, but a physical system embedded in energy, water and land use.  That footprint is expanding alongside one of the fastest technological adoptions in history.  Since ChatGPT’s launch in 2022, generative AI has moved from novelty to mainstream infrastructure, with hundreds of millions of users now relying on AI tools for everything from search and writing to coding and customer service.  The report is described by its authors as a step toward closing a major gap in AI governance by moving beyond a carbon-only lens. It emphasises that “low-carbon is not automatically low-water or low-land,” warning that single-metric assessments can obscure trade-offs and shift environmental burdens onto already water-stressed or land-stressed regions. It points to Brazil as an illustration of the trade-offs involved. While hydropower dominates the country’s grid, with a carbon footprint 77% below the global average, its water and land footprints are nearly triple the global mean.  Those trade-offs are already significant. In 2025, data centres, the physical backbone of AI, consumed an estimated 448 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, ranking them 11th globally if treated as a country. On current trends, that demand could rise to 945 TWh by 2030, nearly triple the combined electricity use of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria, which together are home to more than 650 million people. The associated impacts are equally striking: up to 399 million tonnes of CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent), a water footprint of 9.3 trillion litres and land use exceeding 14 000 km².  Last year, AI accounted for roughly 20% of data centre electricity use, a share projected to double to 40% by 2030. At that level, AI alone could consume about 378 TWh annually, enough to power the residential needs of sub-Saharan Africa for more than two years. An interior view of MareNostrum 5, a flagship European supercomputer, inside the historic chapel at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center in Spain. The system is among Europe’s most powerful high-performance computing installations, delivering around 314 petaflops of computing power. It is currently being upgraded under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking’s BSC AI Factory initiative to expand Europe’s AI capacity, with next-generation GPUs, expanded storage, and energy-efficient cooling to support large-scale AI training and advanced machine learning for startups, researchers, and public institutions across Europe. Photo by Steve Jurvetson (Flickr). The report warns that even where water is eventually returned to the environment, large withdrawals by data centres can place additional pressure on aquifers and river systems, particularly in already water-stressed regions.  The footprint is not just about infrastructure build-out; it is also about how AI is used. Once deployed, systems shift from energy-intensive training to continuous inference at massive scale. In many models, inference now accounts for 80% to 90% of total energy consumption. Daily usage patterns matter. ChatGPT alone processes around 2.5 billion prompts per day. At an estimated 0.42 Wh per text prompt, that translates into roughly 383 GWh of electricity annually, alongside water and land footprints equivalent to the domestic needs of hundreds of thousands of people and hundreds of football fields of land use. As the report said, “every prompt, image, video, and query accumulates when multiplied by billions of users.”  Even small design choices become system-wide environmental decisions. A typical ChatGPT-style query can use far more energy than basic text classification, while long responses or image generation can multiply consumption by hundreds or thousands of times.  Video, the report said, is emerging as the most resource-intensive frontier, with a single AI-generated clip consuming energy on a scale comparable to hundreds of images or hundreds of thousands of simple computations. Efficiency gains alone are not enough. “If lower per-use impacts drive higher volumes of use, total impacts may still rise,” it notes, describing a rebound effect consistent with the Jevons paradox. The environmental consequences extend beyond energy use. AI hardware depends on critical minerals whose extraction often concentrates environmental and social harm in the Global South.  At the end of life, e-waste is expected to reach 2.5 million metric tons annually by 2030 — roughly equivalent to discarding 250 Eiffel Towers each year — raising concerns about toxic exposure and weak recycling systems in frontline communities. The report also highlights a stark geopolitical imbalance. Only 32 countries host AI-specialised cloud infrastructure, with 90% concentrated in the United States and China, while more than 150 countries lack sovereign compute capacity.  This, it argues, reinforces a widening digital and environmental divide in which some states capture the benefits of AI while others absorb many of its material costs. These concerns are echoed in parallel research from the University of Cape Town (UCT). Grant Oosterwyk, a senior lecturer and PhD candidate in Information Systems, warns that the rapid expansion of AI data centres is generating “significant environmental, social and political tensions” that are often obscured by narratives of innovation. His research identifies five interlinked pressures: an energy paradox, rising water strain, hyperscaler dominance, sovereignty erosion and urban displacement. The “energy paradox” describes how AI simultaneously improves efficiency while dramatically increasing electricity demand.  AI-generated conceptual image of AI’s environmental footprint, generated using OpenAI’s ChatGPT/DALL·E, May 2026. Estimated footprints per standard-resolution AI image: 2.9 Wh electricity, 1.22 g CO₂e, 28.6 mL of water, and 0.45 cm² of land, based on literature benchmarks and global average electricity footprint factors. Photo UNU-INWEH Water strain arises from the heavy use of cooling systems in already stressed regions. Meanwhile, the dominance of large technology firms, or hyperscalers, raises concerns about market concentration and inequality. Oosterwyk also highlights “sovereignty erosion,” where reliance on foreign-owned infrastructure weakens national control over data governance and digital policy.  “Our findings suggest that AI infrastructure is increasingly becoming a geopolitical issue,” he said, noting that questions of ownership and control are becoming as important as technological capability itself. Urban displacement adds another layer, as large-scale data centres reshape land use and place pressure on surrounding communities, often with limited local benefit. “The expansion of AI infrastructure is not occurring in isolation,” Oosterwyk said. “It intersects directly with broader concerns around energy access, climate resilience and environmental sustainability.” Both UNU-INWEH and UCT researchers converge on a central conclusion: AI is not an abstract digital force, but a materially intensive system embedded in electricity grids, water systems, land use and global supply chains. The UNU-INWEH report calls for a shift toward lifecycle governance and six operational principles: transparency, efficiency by design, equity and environmental justice, life-cycle responsibility, global cooperation and sustainable use.  It urges governments to integrate AI infrastructure into energy, water and land-use planning, and to require standardised environmental footprint reporting. It also calls for “fit-for-purpose” AI use — selecting the lightest model and lowest-energy format capable of completing a task — and for treating default settings, output length and routing decisions as environmental variables, not neutral design choices. UCT’s Oosterwyk similarly argues for integrative policy frameworks that balance innovation with sustainability. “Balancing AI’s transformative potential with environmental sustainability and social responsibility will be one of the defining policy challenges of the coming years,” he said. The UNU-INWEH report concludes that AI’s promise can only be realised sustainably if its environmental costs are made visible and managed. “Every interaction draws on finite resources and the total environmental footprint depends on how AI systems are designed, how often they are used and what tasks they perform,” it states. “Responsible AI is possible when capability and stewardship grow together within planetary limits.”

The Palm Ridge Commercial Crimes Court has granted businessman Rafik Mohamed a R100 000 bail, after spending two days behind bars. Charged with fraud, theft and contravention of the Companies Act, the court slapped Mohamed with strict bail conditions, which included: Attending all court hearings from 18 August, with a warning that failure could lead to another arrest. Ensuring that he does not communicate with state witnesses. Handing over to the State his passport and all other travel documents.  The development comes amid ongoing investigations linked to SA Steel Mills, which received more than R1 billion in funding from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and is currently under business rescue. The company has been at the centre of a series of disputes involving allegations contained in affidavits, questions around shareholder funding and claims relating to transactions involving UK-registered company Emberton Limited. Those allegations have previously been denied by Mohamed and associated parties. The detention follows months of scrutiny surrounding the affairs of SA Steel Mills, including criminal complaints lodged with law enforcement authorities and questions over the flow of funds linked to the company. In his bail application affidavit, Mohamed said he has for several years been “involved in the development and operation of a steel manufacturing business conducted through the Pro Roof Group of Companies and more recently the SA Steel Mills (Pty) Ltd (“SASM”) and related companies”.  “The core industrial plant was operated by SASM on immovable property owned by Pro Roof Industrial Park (Pty) Ltd (“PRIP”).  “Coin Wise Trading 42 (Pty) Ltd (“Coin Wise”) was the shareholder and lender in relation to PRIP and SASM.  “The project was funded predominantly by the IDC under loan agreements concluded from about 2017 onwards, including construction finance, plant and equipment loans and working capital facilities.  “The IDC exposure was substantial, in excess of R1 billion.  “The relevant IDC facilities were documented, purpose-specific, subject to drawdown, reporting, covenant, monitoring and oversight provisions,” explained Mohamed.  He said during 2023, discussions were held with Alfeco Holdings (Pty) Ltd “regarding Alfeco or its nominee acquiring Coin Wise’s shareholding and loan claims in PRIP and related interests”.  The discussions, he said, “culminated in a written Sale of Shares and Claims Agreement concluded during October 2023 between, amongst others, Alfeco, Coin Wise, PRIP and me”.  He added: “That agreement was subsequently amended by addenda.  “The transaction was not a simple sale of a valuable unencumbered asset.  “It was structured against the background of very substantial IDC indebtedness and the contemplated restructuring of the IDC debt.  “Alfeco and its representatives, including Mr Ashish Verma, were given extensive access to financial records, IDC loan documentation, corporate records and other information relating to PRIP, SASM and the group.  “They had the ability to take accounting, legal and financial advice, and did so.  “Alfeco thereafter assumed management and operational control over PRIP and SASM and appointed its own representatives to the relevant boards.  “The disputes which now underpin the criminal complaint arise from that commercial transaction, the IDC facilities, alleged warranties, financial statements, valuations, dividend entries and intra-group accounting treatments.  “Those issues are already the subject of civil and arbitration proceedings.” Mohamed said he “became aware during or about November 2024 that a criminal complaint had been laid by or at the instance of Alfeco and PRIP.  “To my knowledge, the complaint was not laid by the IDC against me.  “The complaint statement that I have seen was produced in arbitration proceedings.  “It was, on its face, primarily directed at Mr Peyush Bhana, the former financial director, and alleged theft and fraud in respect of Alfeco, SASM, PRIP and the IDC.” He told the court that he was a South African citizen, “with no intention to flee”. “I have lived and conducted business in South Africa throughout my life, Johannesburg being my home, my family base and the centre of my business life. “I consider South Africa to be my permanent place of abode.  “I obtained a United Arab Emirates residency card, issued on 2 November 2024 and valid until 1 November 2026.” He said his wife, children and relatives were “dependent on me”. “I suffer from chronic medical conditions which require regular medication, monitoring and access to medical care.  “These conditions are not advanced as a shield against prosecution, but they are relevant to the prejudice I will suffer if detained, and to the proportionality of continued detention.  “I suffer from asthma and chronic severe sinusitis. “ I require daily treatment, including nasal sprays, nasal irrigation and respiratory management,” said Mohamed. The state did not oppose the bail application.

Three security guards from the KwaNdengezi Taxi Association have been arrested after allegedly shooting at an e-hailing driver and his female passengers, raising serious concerns about safety in the transport sector.

ITHUBA has rejected allegations of payment delays regarding winning Lotto tickets, asserting that all operational data was submitted on time during the transition to the new operator, Sizekhaya.

When the temperature drops and the week finally slows down, there are few things more satisfying than a pot of something rich, fragrant, and deeply comforting on the stove. This seafood pasta – linguine or fettuccine tossed in a creamy Napolitana sauce with prawns, calamari, and mussels – is exactly the kind of weekend cooking that makes staying in feel like the better option. The sauce, a buttery, herb-laced tomato base finished with a splash of white wine and a swirl of cream, comes together in under 30 minutes and fills the kitchen with the kind of warmth no heater can quite replicate. Pair the pasta dish with a well-chilled bottle of Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir – the contrast of cold glass and steaming bowl is half the pleasure – and you have a Friday night that needs nothing else. Serves: 4 Best served with a nice crisply chilled bottle of Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir. Ingredients The Seafood & Pasta 500g Linguine or fettuccine 250g Prawns, peeled and deveined 250g Calamari rings, cleaned 500g Fresh mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded Napolitana-Di Maria Sauce 400g Canned crushed Tomatoes (or high-quality passata) 60g Unsalted butter 30ml Extra virgin olive oil 25g Garlic, finely minced 120ml Dry white wine 60ml Heavy cream 10g Fresh basil, torn (for the Napolitana base) 15g Fresh parsley, chopped 3g Red pepper flakes Salt and black pepper to taste Method Boil 500g of pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 100ml of pasta water before draining. In a large, deep skillet, heat 15ml of olive oil. Sear the prawns and calamari for about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, add the white wine and the mussels. Cover and steam for 3-4 minutes until they open. Use a slotted spoon to remove the mussels and set them aside with the prawns. Discard any that don’t open. Keep the wine/mussel liquid in the pan. Add the remaining olive oil and minced garlic to the wine liquid in the skillet. Sauté for 1 minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the torn basil. Simmer on medium-low for 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens and the tomato acidity mellows. Stir in the butter and the cream. Whisk gently until the sauce turns a creamy orange-red. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Toss well to coat every strand. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water. Fold the prawns, calamari, and mussels (and any juices they’ve released) back into the sauce. Heat for 1 minute just to warm the seafood through. Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Print Recipe of the day: This creamy seafood pasta is your cold weekend sorted When the temperature drops and the week finally slows down, there are few things more satisfying than a pot of something rich, fragrant, and deeply comforting on the stove. This seafood pasta is exactly the kind of weekend cooking that makes staying in feel like the better option. Author: Karabo Molatsana Ingredients The Seafood & Pasta 500g Linguine or fettuccine 250g Prawns, peeled and deveined 250g Calamari rings, cleaned 500g Fresh mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded   Napolitana-Di Maria Sauce 400g Canned crushed Tomatoes (or high-quality passata) 60g Unsalted butter 30ml Extra virgin olive oil 25g Garlic, finely minced 120ml Dry white wine 60ml Heavy cream 10g Fresh basil, torn (for the Napolitana base) 15g Fresh parsley, chopped 3g Red pepper flakes Salt and black pepper to taste Instructions Method Boil 500g of pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 100ml of pasta water before draining. In a large, deep skillet, heat 15ml of olive oil. Sear the prawns and calamari for about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, add the white wine and the mussels. Cover and steam for 3–4 minutes until they open. Use a slotted spoon to remove the mussels and set them aside with the prawns. Discard any that don’t open. Keep the wine/mussel liquid in the pan. Add the remaining olive oil and minced garlic to the wine liquid in the skillet. Sauté for 1 minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the torn basil. Simmer on medium-low for 8–10 minutes until the sauce thickens and the tomato acidity mellows. Stir in the butter and the cream. Whisk gently until the sauce turns a creamy orange-red. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Toss well to coat every strand. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water. Fold the prawns, calamari, and mussels (and any juices they’ve released) back into the sauce. Heat for 1 minute just to warm the seafood through. Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. window.trCommon={"minRating":6,"ajaxurl":"https:\/\/www.citizen.co.za\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","ratingNonce":"","postId":4505371}; window.TastyRecipes = window.TastyRecipes || {}; window.TastyRecipes.smoothScroll = { init() { document.addEventListener( 'click', ( e ) => { let anchor = e.target; if ( anchor.tagName !== 'A' ) { anchor = anchor.closest( 'a.tasty-recipes-scrollto' ); } if ( ! anchor || ! anchor.classList.contains( 'tasty-recipes-scrollto' ) ) { return; } const elementHref = anchor.getAttribute( 'href' ); if ( ! elementHref ) { return; } e.preventDefault(); this.goToSelector( elementHref ); }); }, goToSelector( selector ) { const element = document.querySelector( selector ); if ( ! element ) { return; } element.scrollIntoView( { behavior: 'smooth' } ); } }; document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', () => window.TastyRecipes.smoothScroll.init() ); window.TastyRecipes = window.TastyRecipes || {}; window.TastyRecipes.staticTooltip = { element: null, tooltipElement: null, deleting: false, init( element ) { if ( this.deleting ) { return; } this.element = element; this.buildElements(); }, destroy() { if ( ! 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Blitzboks captain Impi Visser says a mindset of “team first” will carry them into the final Sevens World Championship tournament in France this weekend. The action starts on Friday, with pool matches against Great Britain and Kenya. Visser spoke on the eve of the tournament, where the Blitzboks can achieve a unique double, winning both the Sevens Series and World Championship in the same season, as well as winning their sixth tournament this season. ‘Sevens is 90% mental’ The experienced SA captain alluded to the fact that the odd slip-up in a highly competitive season came when the “team first” mindset was neglected, like last weekend in Valladolid. “It was not the greatest team effort last weekend,” said Visser of their second-place finish in Spain. “Individually we fought hard, but as a collective, we did not punch hard enough. Those lessons were accepted and for this weekend, we want to go out and play without any fear, and stick to the things that make us tick as a team. “Our slogan of ‘powered by unity’ is spot-on to describe our approach for the weekend. “Sevens is 90% mental and 10% physical. Everyone is fit and strong. So the difference will be in the mindset. That will determine the success of our weekend.” Blitzboks focus on one game at a time As luck would have it, the Blitzboks face Great Britain and Kenya again on the opening day, with both teams demanding the very best out the South Africans in Spain. “GB will come at us again, like they did last weekend, and Kenya always come at us, so we know what to expect from them. We have the skills to beat them, so it’s just the application that we need to get right.” There is also the reality of retaining the world champion status, with South Africa leading Argentina by four points and Australia by eight in the final stretch, but Visser is having none of that. “We are only going to focus on Friday. It will be about having the right frame of mind. We know what we can do, not to look for the results but to follow the process.”

In today’s Kaizer Chiefs transfers, the club has sanctioned the sale of Aden McCarthy to Kazakh champions Sabah. Now, a trio of others are set to leave. Chiefs to cut senior trio loose Kaizer Chiefs are reportedly willing to let three more players leave the club. This comes hot off the heels of Aden McCarthy leaving for Kazakhstani outfit Sabah FK. Via KickOff: “Amakhosi are also expected to part ways with several players whose contracts have come to an end, while others have simply not found their footing at the Naturena-based club.” “Gaston Sirino, Fiacre Ntwari and George Matlou are among those expected to be leaving.” Kaizer Chiefs fans ‘to support Mexico’ An alarming number of Chiefs supporters have indicated that they’ll support Mexico because of a lack of Glamour Boys in the national setup. 25-year-old left-back Bradley Cross is the only Chiefs representative in the 2026 World Cup squad. However, he’s likely to be a bit-part player under outgoing boss Hugo Broos. ‘We are Mexico, and Mexico is us’ is the sentiment pouring out of several chronically online Kaizer Chiefs fans. Whether they’re being 100% serious or it’s some tongue-in-cheek fun is unclear. Bafana gear up for the World Cup The 2026 World Cup is just a week away. South Africa will get the glittering showpiece underway with a clash against Mexico on Thursday, 11 June. Kickoff is at 21:00 CAT.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has published a simplified guide to help taxpayers understand when they become liable for income tax, how the tax system works, and the steps required to register and submit returns. According to SARS, individuals become liable for income tax once they earn more than the legislated tax threshold for a particular tax year. READ | SARS confirms auto assessment dates for 2026 tax season Tax is calculated using a sliding scale, meaning higher earners pay tax at progressively higher rates. The tax authority reminded South Africans that the tax year runs from 1 March to the last day of February the following year, with taxpayers required to submit returns during the annual Filing Season. More than just salary income While many employees have tax deducted directly from their salaries through Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE), SARS noted that several other forms of income may also be taxable. These include: Income from business activities Directors’ remuneration Trust income Taxable investment income Rental income Royalties Certain capital gains Annuities and pensions Employers are responsible for deducting employees’ tax from salaries and paying it over to SARS each month. Certain deductions, including retirement fund contributions and medical aid payments, may reduce the amount of tax payable. How to register for tax SARS said taxpayers can register through their employer, via SARS eFiling, the SARS MobiApp, the SARS Online Query System (SOQS), or WhatsApp. To register through eFiling, taxpayers must: Visit SARS eFiling Select “Register” Follow the registration prompts Request a Notice of Registration, which will contain their tax reference number A valid South African identity document is required for registration. The same process is available through the SARS MobiApp, while taxpayers can also register through SOQS or via WhatsApp by saving the SARS number, 0800 11 7277, and initiating a conversation. Filing tax returns Once registered, taxpayers can submit their annual income tax return using an ITR12 form, which is customised according to their personal tax circumstances. SARS continues to encourage taxpayers to use eFiling, noting that much of the required information is automatically populated from data submitted by employers and other institutions. The revenue service said digital platforms have become the preferred option for taxpayers, with the majority of South Africans now filing online. Supporting public services SARS emphasised that income tax remains one of government’s most important revenue sources, helping to fund public services and social programmes across the country. “The Income Tax you pay enables the Government to meet the social and economic needs of our country and its people, ensuring a better life for everyone,” the agency said. Taxpayers seeking more information on tax rates, filing deadlines and registration requirements can access detailed guidance through SARS’ online platforms and taxpayer service channels.

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