South African female politician reveals she only showers once every 3 days

Helen Zille, the head of a province in South Africa, surprised many people when she revealed that she only bathes once every three days because the place where she lives often lacks water and she wants to set an example for people to follow.

Ms. Helen Zille. Photo: Businesstech

Helen Zille, Premier of the Western Cape Province (South Africa), said she only bathes once every three days. Her seemingly unhygienic actions turn out to be for a very noble cause.

In the Western Cape where she lives, famous for its fertile lands, mountains and beaches, it is now facing a serious water shortage, which has been made worse over the past year by drought in the region.

“I only shower once every three days and very quickly. Before I washed my hair every day but now I only wash it when I shower. The negative consequences of this are quite obvious,” Ms. Zille wrote.

Ms Zille recently dismissed a report that the Western Cape provincial government was using taxpayer money to build a water filtration system in her area. Almost desperate to prove the water shortage was serious, she said: “My husband and I use so little water that sometimes we have real concerns about hygiene and appearance.”

For residents of the Western Cape, water shortages are no laughing matter. The average level of dams in the province is now 35% full, down significantly from 61% at the same time last year.

So the government of the Western Cape, home to 6 million people, has imposed a “level 5 water restriction” rule. The rule states that each citizen can use no more than 87 liters of water per day. According to a 2011 study, an average eight-minute shower uses 62 liters of water, or 70% of the daily water use of a person.

Those who use too much water will be severely punished. But in reality, water usage is very difficult to control, so people here must be aware and monitor themselves.

However, this approach seems ineffective as businesses and residents do not seem to be making a real effort to comply with the regulations. Therefore, the Western Cape government is considering investing in research into alternative water sources, including the use of water recycling technology or groundwater extraction.

According to Dan Tri