Hartbeespoort audit nears completion

The department of water and sanitation (DWS) says it is making progress in addressing historical inequalities in land leasing around the Hartbeespoort Dam and disputed that it has systematically violated the rights of black applicants.

- Sipho Mabena

While acknowledging the gravity of the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) findings, the department argued that current inequalities stem largely from apartheid-era 99-year lease agreements rather than post-1994 discrimination.

The DWS said it faced legal resistance when revoking those leases, but that the courts ultimately upheld its authority to do so.

It said it has since adopted a new lease policy limiting agreements to a maximum of nine years and 11 months, and converted government dams from single-purpose to multipurpose use, opening surrounding land for tourism, recreation and economic activity.