DA set to approach courts over Joburg water crisis
The DA in Gauteng plans to approach the courts in a bid to force the City of Johannesburg and Joburg Water to meet their constitutional obligation to provide residents with water.
“Water is an absolute constitutional right. It is not a nice to have, it's a right that a local government must make sure that every one of its citizens realises,” the party’s Joburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille said during a media briefing on Wednesday.
Zille argued that the City of Johannesburg had failed in its duty to ensure residents and businesses have access to clean, reliable water.
Her remarks come as large parts of Johannesburg continue to experience prolonged outages, with residents and businesses frustrated by dry taps, inconsistent supply and poor communication.
In areas such as Midrand and parts of the inner city, infrastructure strain, ageing pipes and high demand have placed pressure on reservoirs and distribution systems.
On Wednesday, the city also hosted a media briefing to address water issues.
Mayor Dada Morero said residents are currently using about 1,750 megalitres of water per day, exceeding Rand Water’s allocated limit of 1,550 megalitres.
He emphasised that one of the key measures being implemented to reduce consumption is “throttling”.
“Part of the strategy is throttling, as you’d know that particularly at night we try to throttle so that we can reduce the losses during the night.”
However, DA spokesperson on Water and Sanitation, Stephen Moore, argued that the party believes there is a need for the temporary relaxation of Rand Water’s extraction limits from the Vaal Dam.
But, he said, this could only happen once the dam levels are above capacity.
He emphasised that residents are not the problem, but rather the continual delay in carrying out much-needed maintenance.
Central to the DA’s legal argument is the City’s own water turnaround strategy.
“Although there is a water turnaround strategy, it is not being implemented, and it is not being funded... They're failing to allocate money for that, they're sweeping the water account of all the money, and we will seek an order that holds them to account, ensures that they implement the turnaround strategy to end the crisis, and to fulfil their constitutional duty to provide residents and businesses, the people of Joburg, with access to clean, reliable water,” said Zille.
The DA is proposing that at least 120 kilometres of water pipes be repaired or replaced annually.
The party also urged the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, to ensure that Rand Water communicates transparently with residents.
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