Water leaks at Rand Water Eikenhof water reservoir and pumping station, while Gauteng residents are asked to use less water
25 October 2022
Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) embarked on a fact-finding mission to the Rand Water Eikenhof water reservoir and pumping station, and we were disappointed to discover that that there is a water leak and that clean drinking water was flowing freely just outside the pumping station, while residents are being asked to save water.
Rand Water blames our residents for not using water sparingly but from what we saw today, it is clear that this entity is failing to ensure that their infrastructure is properly maintained. Regular maintenance of our water infrastructure is critical if we want to prevent this infrastructure from collapsing.
We also engaged with the local ward councillors whose areas are the most affected by the load-shedding and current throttling of the supply of water in Hursthill.
Residents have to rely on water tankers and, in one incident a 13-year-old child was knocked down by a car while collecting water and is in critical condition. Old age homes and hospitals in the area are also affected by the shortage of water.
It is for this reason that next week we will be laying a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (HRC) regarding the current water situation in the province. Our residents are being denied their basic human rights by not having access to a constant reliable supply of water on a daily basis.
While residents can manage without electricity, they cannot survive without water. Furthermore, this is also having a negative impact on businesses that are required to use water in the production of their goods.
The DA will continue to put pressure on the relevant government stakeholders and entities to urgently establish an intergovernmental task team that will come up with a decisive plan that will ensure all residents can have access to a reliable supply of water.
Issued by Solly Msimanga, Official Leader of the Opposition-Gauteng, 25 October 2022
