eThekwini’s water crisis: a violation of human rights

OVER the past several years, residents of eThekwini have become well-acquainted with the ritual of stockpiling water, waking at unearthly hours to fill buckets, and sending children to school without knowing whether there will be running taps in the bathrooms.

- DR JONATHAN ANNIPEN

In Phoenix, Tongaat, Verulam, Chatsworth and Isipingo, these routines are not emergency responses anymore — they have become a way of life.

What we are experiencing is not just a water crisis; it is a collapse of governance, accountability, and ultimately, human dignity. It would be comical, if it were not so tragic, that those who pay for water - diligent ratepayers — are the ones being systematically deprived of it.

These areas, predominantly minority communities and historically marginalised, appear to be on an unofficial water-shedding schedule, with supply often disappearing by midday and only returning the following morning. This is not equitable service delivery; this is systemic failure disguised as operational strain.

The Constitution of South Africa is unequivocal: Section 27(1)(b) states that everyone has the right to have access to sufficient water. The Water Services Act 108 of 1997, reinforces this, mandating municipalities to provide water services in a manner that is efficient, equitable and sustainable.

What we are witnessing in eThekwini is a direct violation of this constitutional imperative. What’s worse is the perception — and in some cases the stark reality — that the city is weaponising incompetence.

There are whispers, growing louder by the day, suggesting that this suffering is not accidental, but deliberate: some point to racial indifference, others to revenge fantasies tied to the so-called “Phoenix Massacre”.

Whatever the motive, the outcome is the same — families, schools, hospitals and businesses are left high and dry.

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