The South African Federation of Trade Unions is extremely concerned about the water outages that are currently occurring in different parts of the country. Basic needs such as water should always be on the Government’s priority list of service delivery. Asset Manager, Coronation, has warned that “water-shedding” incidents are on the rise outside the Western Cape, and parts of Gauteng.
Municipalities cite their plans for water infrastructure maintenance. However, the failure to do maintenance on time contributes to long suspension of water supply as maintenance takes long.
Such issues affect the working class badly. SAFTU views water outages as a failure of the government to provide basic needs, which disproportionately affects poor and working-class communities. Water outages force citizens to opt for alternative sources for water, which may not always be sanitary. This is true, especially in the context that alternative supply of water through truck delivery is not consistent.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has outlined the dangers of not accessing clean water. They state that “inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services has significant consequences for the health of a population and Diseases related to the use of water include malnutrition, neglected diseases, diarrhoea, and poisonings, among others. These are caused by micro-organisms and chemicals in drinking water.” Indeed, the people of Hammanskral suffered a cholera outbreak in 2023 due to not accessing clean water. The community has been battling to access clean water for over a decade now. The Government continues to fail the working class and the poor putting their lives in danger and constantly disregarding their human rights.
We urge the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, and other municipalities responsible, to better management of water resources, accountability from all parties involved, and investment in infrastructure to fix such crisis.
Water outages due to maintenance add to the woes of water shortage in communities that do not have access to running water. The household survey has shown access to clean water has been on the decline because of the mismanagement of water resources and infrastructure. Government is also failing to expand water infrastructure to new settlements.
