Civil rights organisation AfriForum has brought an urgent application against Rand Water following the water supplier’s decision to reduce water supply to several municipalities.

AfriForum, in its court application, requested an interdict obliging Rand Water to restore full water supply to the municipalities concerned.

The civil organisation’s legal action followed an urgent letter of demand sent by its legal team to Rand Water last week demanding that water supply be fully restored to the Emfuleni and Lesedi local municipalities in the Sedibeng district municipality in Gauteng; Randwest and Merafong City local municipalities in the West Rand district municipality in Gauteng; Ngwathe local municipality in the Fezile Dabi district municipality in the Free State; and Govan Mbeki local municipality in Mpumalanga.

Earlier in March, Rand Water, in response to escalating debt owed to it by municipalities, issued water reduction notices to two municipalities, with plans to follow similar credit control measures with the remaining municipalities.

The water utility reduced the water flow to Ngwathe and Merafong City by 20% on February 26, with plans to reduce it a further 20% should these municipalities fail to pay the overdue amount or enter into amicable payment arrangement by March 25.

The water utility is owed a cumulative overdue amount of more than R3-billion by municipalities, including Govan Mbeki and Victor Khanye local municipality, both in Mpumalanga, and the Lesedi, Randwest City and Emfuleni local municipalities.

At the time, Rand Water warned of a destabilising financial position as these municipalities fail to honour their bulk water purchase agreements and debt settlement arrangements.

“Access to clean water is a basic human right; it is essential for health, sanitation and overall quality of life. The decision to reduce water supply, even though it may be driven by operational or financial constraints, has far-reaching implications for the affected communities, especially for the most vulnerable,” said AfriForum local government affairs adviser Petrus Coetzee.

Rand Water has placed an unnecessary burden on the already vulnerable communities, exacerbating existing socioeconomic challenges, he continued, noting that AfriForum strongly condemns Rand Water’s actions to cut water supply.

“While we recognise the challenges that water suppliers face, we believe that such decisions must be made with careful consideration for the well-being of the communities they serve. We believe that cooperation between water suppliers, government authorities and civil society organisations is essential to find sustainable solutions to challenges with water supply.”

For the sake of accountability and transparency, AfriForum has initiated legal proceedings against Rand Water to address the concerns caused by this matter.