Water-challenged communities across Gauteng have expressed mixed feelings following the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) announcement of an investigation into the ongoing water crisis impacting numerous communities and schools across the province. The SAHRC has confirmed that this investigation aligns with its mandate to promote, protect, and monitor human rights in South Africa, particularly as residents endure persistent water shortages that threaten their health and well-being.
In a statement, the SAHRC said it is concerned that the ongoing water crisis has severely impacted communities across the province, particularly poor and marginalised communities, residents of informal settlements, schools, healthcare facilities, and social care institutions.
“The recurring disruptions in water supply raise serious concerns regarding the enjoyment of several constitutional rights, including the rights to dignity, equality, life, healthcare, a healthy environment, and access to sufficient water,” it said.
Reacting to the SAHRC probe, Ravi Singh, from the Water Crisis Committee in the City of Johannesburg, indicated that when the challenges affecting communities in areas such as Westdene, Eastgate, Kensington, and other parts of the City emerged, the committee took its complaints to the SAHRC, the Public Protector, and other institutions.
“The Public Protector is now finalising its report, and through that process, Joburg Water committed itself to a plan to address many of the challenges affecting the city’s water system. The important thing now is that both the City of Johannesburg and Joburg Water implement that plan with urgency and consistency,” Singh said.
Singh added: “For communities living with constant outages, low pressure and days without water, this issue has gone on for far too long. Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about ageing infrastructure, leaks, pump failures, poor planning and delayed maintenance, often long before authorities publicly admitted the scale of the problem.”
However, Buti Mtembu, speaking on behalf of the Merafong Water Crisis Committee, serviced by the Merafong Local Municipality, indicated that the initial enthusiasm for the investigation is overshadowed by frustration, as many residents believe it is a case of too little, too late.
In September 2025, persistent water shortages in Kokosi and other communities led to one of the most disruptive protests the area has seen in over a decade.
Mtembu indicated that under the committee and the One Merafong Organisation(OMO), they approached the SAHRC on an urgent basis during the height of the Fochville water crisis, hoping that the Chapter 9 institution would act urgently in defence of the constitutional rights of the affected communities.
“Unfortunately, we were met with a slow and disappointing response, despite the seriousness of the humanitarian situation facing residents. At the time, communities were subjected to prolonged water outages and were forced to fetch water from unsafe and stagnant sources, including streams where animals also drank water. We warned the Commission that the situation posed a serious public health risk and could potentially lead to a cholera outbreak or other dangerous diseases,” he added.
Meanwhile as the SAHRC probe gets under way, the DA’s Stephen Moore has challenged President Cyril Ramaphosa’s National Water Crisis Committee to demonstrate genuine commitment to ‘prevent the initiative from falling into the realm of mere rhetoric’.
The DA has warned about the financial stability of Johannesburg Water, the city’s primary water utility provider, saying the entity is operating with a precariously low budget, with only enough funds to support its current fleet of 20 water tankers.
Siyabonga Sithole
iol.co.za
