DA calls on SAHRC to urgently release findings and recommendations on water crisis in KZN

18 January 2023

The DA in uThukela has written to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to request the urgent release of findings and recommendations on the water crisis in KwaZulu-Natal, including uThukela District. View letter here.

In 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the DA opened a case with the SAHRC to investigate the ongoing gross human rights transgressions in uThukela where communities and hospitals were stuck without clean drinking water for weeks at a time.

After further complaints from all over KZN, the SAHRC finally decided to investigate and a hearing was scheduled in KZN for August 2022.

Almost five months later the SAHRC has still not released a report with findings and recommendations.

Thousands of residents in the District continue to suffer as taps are still dry.

In Ladysmith communities in wards 13 and 20 had to endure six days without water in the first 15 days of the new year.

The Woodford community in Bergville has been barricading the arterial R616 for days now as they have been left without water since the close of 2022 along with the Roosboom Community outside Ladysmith who also barricaded the R103 sighting no water for weeks now.

This then raises serious urgency for the SAHRC to release their report and findings on the water crisis in uThukela and other areas of KZN that were not necessarily affected by the floods, but rather have to endure daily failings in basic services.

As the DA in uThukela we therefore call on the SAHRC to enact their mandate without fear or favour and for the Governing IFP to provide basic services to residents in the municipality.

Issued by Councillor Thys Janse van Rensburg, DA uThukela Chairperson, 18 January 2023