“It’s Embarrassing”: UK Residents Without Water Bathe in Sea, South Africans Discuss Relatable Issue

• A video captured residents in the UK who were dealing with water cuts, and their solution went viral all over the world
• South Africans were among the people who chimed in on the clip of residents in the UK who were angry because of a lack of water
• The video of the UK citizens sparked discussions about how others deal with service delivery for basic resources in a different way

An official British news report on South East Water residents in the UK taking a bath in a natural body of water sparked a controversy on social media. Viewers on TikTok were disturbed to see that people were going to extremes after more than a few days without running water. Many South Africans shared their reactions to the British residents' way of coping without water.

Residents in the UK were captured on camera bathing and brushing their teeth in the ocean in response to not having water for one week. Most of the people expressed frustration with the rising cost of living, saying that even if they paid the sky-high rates, their water was still cut off. One of them described it as paying through the nose and that it is too much, especially as someone who is a single parent with water bills running up to R 1966, saying it was practically extortion. From their perspective, they were getting a better value for their money by deciding to bathe and brush their teeth in the sea. Watch the video by ITVNews below:

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South Africa relates to water cuts

While the British community's complaints about the high cost of living were relatable, most people did not appreciate that they were taking to the sea to clean up. A South African started a comment thread insisting that water cuts were a big problem in South Africa, with many going weeks without water, but they do not use natural bodies of water to clean up. Read the comments below:

lulu____lowkey🙃SAD💨 commented:

"In South Africa, we usually don't have water for like 2-3 weeks, and some areas haven't had water since 2018...sooo."

Sophia🦋 said:

'Thank you for sharing. Nobody talks about this. More awareness needs to be brought to this."

Evanh05 argued:

"This is the UK, a first-world country. One of the richest countries in the world, it’s embarrassing, and it’s disgusting that there are people within the country who haven’t had water for a week."

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BoredomKills replied:

"This isn't a competition, no one cares."

bestiejaden_ remarked:

"No need to compare countries, both are going and have been going through a difficult time."

Task added:

"We will join you because were becoming a 3rd world country as well 😂"

Other Briefly News stories about overseas

• People were fascinated by Americans who compared the way eggs are stored in South Africa versus in America
• Online users had a newfound appreciation for life in South Africa when a woman from eSwatini listed everything that a South African would not be able to survive on.
• In a similar vein, a Nigerian woman posted a video sharing why she believes that South African women would not be able to survive if they lived in Nigeria.

Source: Briefly News