The shortage of Water in Emalahleni continues to be a huge problem in this municipality despite the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) finding in 2013 that the municipality “violated the rights of the residents in that it has failed/neglected to take reasonable steps to provide the residents with sufficient and clean water”.
Seven years later, at a time when an adequate supply of potable water is necessary in every home to fight the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, the municipality is still unable to provide a reliable water supply to its residents.
Over the past six months hardly a day went by that one part or another of this municipality has not been without water – more often than not for days on end, even up to eight days in certain areas.
Yet the local municipality does not seem willing or able to find a solution to the problem.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has therefore launched a petition calling on the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation as well as the SAHRC to investigate the continued abuse of human rights by the municipality.
They must in particular investigate the following:
- Why residential areas still do not have water supply for up to seven or eight consecutive days?
- Why water leaks are not repaired within a reasonable time? There are examples where it can take up to three months to repair a leak resulting in thousands of litres of potable water being wasted;
- Why water tankers are not despatched to areas without water within a specified time? Currently they are only sent when requested by the ward councillor; and
- What the reasons are for insufficient communication from the municipality on the water outages and when the supply will be restored.
The City of Emalahleni deserves better.
We therefore urge every resident to sign the petition. Copies are available on all our social media platforms or from your DA ward councillor.