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The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has demanded answers from the OR Tambo District Municipality over failures to provide clean, reliable drinking water to communities across the district.
The commission on Tuesday convened subpoena proceedings involving mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana and municipal manager Zimkhitha Mgangatho as part of an investigation into longstanding complaints from residents in areas including Flagstaff, Mqanduli, Ingquza Hill, Port St Johns and King Sabata Dalindyebo.
According to the commission, some complaints date back to 2023 and relate to dry taps, unreliable water supply and residents being forced to rely on unsafe water sources.
Provincial commissioner Dr Eileen Carter said the commission had conducted oversight visits, inspections and extensive engagements with the municipality to secure accountability and remedial action.
“We have received complaints about a lack of running water and inadequate infrastructure for water supply,” Carter said.
She said the commission expected the municipality to provide feedback on measures taken to supply affected communities with water and address service delivery failures.
Carter cited complaints from several areas across the district.
“In Ingquza Hill municipality, a resident complained in January 2023 that 10 villages in Ward 5 were in need of water,” she said.
“In King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality, a resident complained in January 2024 that five villages had not been receiving running water.
“There are also eight villages in Mpheko that are deprived.”
She said some communities continued to experience water shortages despite infrastructure having been installed.
The commission has given the municipality 14 days to provide a detailed response, including timelines for the completion of water projects and plans to address areas that remain without access to water.
“We need a timeline on when certain projects will be completed. We encourage the municipality to be transparent.
“We need a plan on how the municipality will address the 45% of households across the district that are still in need of water,” Carter said.
She also called for stronger measures to combat vandalism affecting water infrastructure, including greater co-operation with law enforcement agencies.
Ngqondwana acknowledged the concerns and said he was unaware that some follow-up matters had not been addressed.
“It is quite concerning that officials did not respond … But we will attend to the matters,” he said.
Ngqondwana said the municipality operated 14 water tankers and would continue supplying affected communities while infrastructure challenges were addressed.
“Approximately R10m is budgeted annually for outsourcing water tankers,” he said.
“Our spending on outsourcing has dropped significantly because there were issues where private contractors would influence community members to conduct strikes.”
He said the municipality had previously reduced its reliance on outsourced water tankers due to concerns about sabotage and interference with water supply operations.
Ngqondwana further alleged that some individuals were benefiting from disruptions to water provision.
“There is petty criminality contributing to the lack of water supply,” he said.
However, Carter said vandalism alone could not explain the district’s water challenges.
“In 2009, a village in Flagstaff had a generator that broke down and it has not yet been replaced,” she said.
Ngqondwana disputed suggestions of widespread failure in Flagstaff, saying the area’s water supply system was operating at 96%.
The commission said it would assess the municipality’s response once it was submitted and determine whether further intervention was necessary.
Daily Dispatch
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