The DA submits Petition to Rand Water to put an end to Water Outages in Benoni, the next step will involve the Human Rights Commission of South Africa
by Cllr. Lornette Joseph — DA Ward 27 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 20 March 2023
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
On Wednesday, 19 April 2023, Democratic Alliance (DA) Ward 27 Councillor, Cllr. Lornette Joseph and DA PR Councillor, Cllr. Nina McFarlane, hand-delivered a petition on behalf of residents to Rand Water at their Head Office in Glenvista to reduce the number of water outages experienced in the area. The Petition was received by Lydia Radebe on behalf of Rand Water, who has since committed to calling a meeting with all affected Benoni Councillors to respond to the petition and give feedback on the plans going forward.
The petition garnered over 3222 signatures and was addressed to Mr Ramateu Moyokolo, Chairperson of the Board of Rand Water and Mr Sipho Mosai, the Chief Executive of the board. To ensure adequate attention at national level, the petition (will also be) has been delivered to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation where it will be considered for resolution. The petition was drafted by Cllr. Joseph following several unannounced water interruptions from Rand Water where residents were left for days without water without having the necessary communication and emergency contingency plans in place. The Benoni 2 and 3 reservoirs as well as the Vlakfontein 1 and 2 reservoirs were severely impacted by the water outages and caused area-wide outages as they are key reservoirs that serve the suburbs of Northmead, Airfield, Rynfield, Farrarmere, Farrarmere Gardens, Goedeburg, Morehill, Ebotse, Crystal Park, Cloverdene, Fairleads, Brentwood Park, Norton Home Estate, Northvilla, Rynfield AH, Benoni North AH and surrounding areas. These outages affect more than 35 000 properties, 20 old age homes, and 17 schools which accommodate approximately 18 000 children.
The petition requested an investigation into:
- The lack of communication/feedback on the said water outages/ restrictions.
- the reasons behind the continuous water shortages throughout Benoni, and
- the reasons why Benoni 2 and 3 reservoirs are not filling to their capacity, nor filling at the same rate simultaneously.
The petition concluded by requesting that Rand Water provides a long-term solution to the continuous water outages experienced in the area by ensuring the timeous delivery of water, in sufficient quantities, to the Benoni 2 and 3 reservoirs to ensure the maintenance of adequate water levels. The residents furthermore requested that communications be sent out timeously from Rand Water to officials in the City of Ekurhuleni so that communications are sent out (timeously) to allow adequate time for residents to prepare and for the (timeous) deployment of water points/tankers in the area.
Although small improvements are noticeable at Vlakfontein 1 and 2, since the petition has been submitted to Rand Water, water outages have however worsened because of the ongoing stage 5 and 6 loadshedding implemented across the country. With a potential humanitarian crisis on the doorstep, Cllr. Joseph has opted to lay a complaint to the Human Rights Commission on behalf of residents as it (now) constitutes a human rights violation.
According to Section 27 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, “Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water”.
In recognition of the rights of access to basic water supply and sanitation, the Water Services Act, 108 of 1997, was enacted by Parliament. Section 3 (2) of the Act states that “every water services institution must take reasonable measures to realise these rights”. According to Section 3 (a -b) of the Act, “Procedures for the limitation or discontinuation of water services must be fair and equitable; and provide for reasonable notice of intention to limit or discontinue…”
With the implementation of Stage 5 and 6 Loadshedding by Eskom, the City of Ekurhuleni and Rand Water is now unable to pump water and maintain adequate water levels at water reservoirs and towers, leaving residents without water for more than 12 hours per day. Residents and councillors are not informed timeously or at all, about the limitation/ discontinuation of water, nor is emergency water provided during these prolonged water outages. This, therefore, constitutes a gross violation of residents’ basic human right to have access to sufficient water.
Numerous attempts have been made to avert the water crisis in the ward:
- The construction of a R44 million, 5.5 MI Water Tower in Northmead, which has been marred by contractor issues since its inception in 2018.
- Petitions have been submitted to the City of Ekurhuleni and the National Government to provide backup generators at all major Benoni reservoirs / water towers.
- Petition has been submitted to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation and the Management of Rand Water on the constant power outages affecting the ward as a result of water capacity issues at Benoni 2 and 3 as well as Vlakfontein 1 and 2, reservoirs.
With loadshedding becoming an ever-permanent feature in our daily lives, the time has come for the City of Ekurhuleni and Rand Water to put the necessary mechanisms in place to ensure a stable water supply in the area. Adequate backup power supply at reservoirs and pump stations during loadshedding and power outages will prevent water levels from dropping at reservoirs, ensuring an uninterrupted water supply. Proper communication from Rand Water will also go a long way in ensuring that councillors and residents are informed ahead of time of water interruptions/ outages and will give the municipality adequate time to deploy water tankers where it is most needed.
It is therefore why the DA drafted and submitted a petition on behalf of its residents, to ensure that permanent solutions are found to ongoing water outages in the area.
We, however, need to add more pressure on this issue to ensure its resolution, it is therefore why I have decided to take this matter up with the Human Rights Commission.
Residents can support this initiative by signing our permission form in the Google Form below:
The permissions will be attached to the complaint, which will be submitted by DA Benoni ward Councillors to the Human Rights Commission for investigation.
With the petition now having been submitted to Rand Water, the DA will continue with engagements to track the progress on the petition and will report back to the community as soon as the required feedback has been received.
We would like to thank all our residents for signing the petition and implore residents to give their full support behind our complaint to the Human Rights Commission.
We will not rest until concrete plans are provided to ensure an uninterrupted water supply in the area.
Attached to this statement are pictures of Cllr. Lornette Joseph (DA Ward 27 Councillor) and Cllr. Nina McFarlane (DA PR Councillor) and DA activists submitting the petition to Lydia Radebe from Rand Water.
Cllr. Lornette Joseph
DA Ward 27 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
083 847 4510
