Note to editors: the following speech was delivered today by Build One South Africa (BOSA) Deputy Leader, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster MP, during Parliament’s Human Rights Day debate.
Saturday marks 65 years since the tragic events of the Sharpeville Massacre that took place on 21 March 1960.
Today we observe Human Rights Day on the day, a poignant reminder of our nation’s ongoing commitment to uphold and protect the fundamental rights of all citizens as enshrined in the Constitution.
Section 27 of our Constitution guarantees that “everyone has the right to have access to… sufficient water.” This right is not aspirational – it is legally enforceable, as affirmed by the Constitutional Court in the landmark case of Mazibuko v City of Johannesburg.
The Court emphasized that the state bears the responsibility to take reasonable measures to ensure the progressive realization of this right within its available resources.
Today across the country, too many citizens are grappling with water shortages and supply interruptions. If the taps aren’t completely dry, then water throttling is implemented.
Speaker, if loadshedding was the gift from the previous administration, water shedding is the gift from this administration. And we must stand up against it and seek access to water for all.
Johannesburg, our economic hub, is the epicentre of this unfolding human rights abuse. Residents endure prolonged water outages due to infrastructure decay and mismanagement.
The problem is that no one in government is directly accountable. The Minister of Water says it’s the job of municipalities to supply water, while the municipalities say it’s the water boards. The deputy president says it’s the high-level Water Task Team that is responsible, while the President says it’s the National Water Crisis Committee.
We can understand why citizens are frustrated and why no one is directly accountable for the water crisis.
This year, BOSA is standing in the gap on behalf of citizens, and we will be approaching the courts for direct relief. If government will not act, the courts must instruct it to do so.
We will be announcing the nature and merits of our legal action on Friday ahead of Human Rights Day.
Finally, I wish to appeal to the President and to his government to not waste taxpayers’ money by opposing this litigation. Instead, all efforts should be geared towards supplying clean water to every tap and every citizen.
Media Enquiries:
Roger Solomons
BOSA Spokesperson
072 299 3551