The Commission wishes to reassure the people of Cape Town that it has, of its own initiative, commenced monitoring the situation and is engaged in a process of reviewing the plans and state of readiness of the City to implement such plans, the state of readiness of other relevant state institutions to provide support, and clarifying what that support will consist of.

To these ends, the Commission met with the relevant officials from the City of Cape Town on Friday 26 January 2018 and has been reassured that the measures being taken by the City are well considered and are in the best interests of the people of Cape Town.
 
The Commission has fully familiarised itself with the situation on the ground through its own efforts and confirms that the situation is as dire as stated by the City, but that if all residents of the City commit to using 50 litres of water per person Day Zero can be postponed.  

Recognising that the situation changes daily in line with consumption of water and that the City’s plans are as a consequence being amended daily, the City cannot responsibly release its plans. Far from the situation which was reported following the press conference held by Musi Maimane in Athlone on Wednesday 24 January 2018, the Commission wishes to confirm that the City does indeed have a plan. The main part of that plan, which requires the co-operation of all residents and businesses, is to make the current supply of water last for as long as possible - hence the water restrictions.

The most important part of the plan, not just at this time but going forward and taking into consideration the unpredictable impact of climate change on the weather and rainfall patterns of the City, is that all residents embrace the new normal of water wise consumption. In this regard, the Commission urges all residents of Cape Town to be water warriors and keep to the daily limit (and less), so that the water supply can be made to last until rain brings some relief.  
 
The Commission will continue to monitor the process and engage with all parties during this time of crisis and will be releasing regular statements regarding the situation as it has noted with concern the amount of conflicting information which is available on the issue. The Commission will accordingly, in the exercise of its Constitutional mandate and as guardian of the Bill of Rights, not register complaints received in regard to this issue; but will instead focus on obtaining the information required by the people of Cape Town, providing support to government to ensure its state of readiness should Day Zero be reached.  
 
The Commission has noted with concern media reports which appear to indicate tension between the different spheres of government regarding the water crisis. The Commission will engage the parties in order to bring about greater co-operation and ensure that efforts are directed at the resolution of this crisis. Recriminations and blame-shifting do not inspire confidence in our leaders and this confidence will be needed in the coming months.
 
The Commission undertakes to keep the public informed of relevant developments on an ongoing basis. Should Day Zero be reached, the Commission will monitor the implementation of water distribution to ensure that it is equitable and that vulnerable groups are catered for.

The Commission will continue to engage communities on their rights and responsibilities in this crisis and urges the responsible and conservative use of this scarce resource. Additional resources are being brought online and the City needs the co-operation of all its citizens to ensure that Day Zero can be postponed indefinitely.
 
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Issued by the South African Human Rights Commission

For more information, please contact:

Gail Smith - SAHRC Spokesperson. Cell: 060 988 3792 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Gushwell Brooks - Communications Co-ordinator.  Cell: 082 645 8573 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.