The purpose of this Act is to provide for the right to basic water supply and basic sanitation services. The Water Services Act, 1997 provides that:

• Everyone has a right of access to basic water supply;
• Every water services institution must take steps to realise these rights, and
• Every municipality must plan in its water services development plan to realise these rights. 

There is a duty on all spheres of government to ensure that water and sanitation services are provided in a manner which is efficient, equitable and sustainable. The Constitution, 1996 recognises that due to lack of resources, the government cannot provide basic services to everybody immediately. However, the government must have a clear plan with timeframes and budgets to provide basic services and increase access.

Violations to the right to access water and sanitation services are unacceptably high in South Africa, with most violations taking place in rural areas and informal communities. The Northern Cape Province is not immune from these harsh realities. The SAHRC Northern Cape provincial office has reliably learned, through the complaints lodged by the members of the public, individuals and organisations acting in the public interest, that the Namakwa District is experiencing challenges with water resources where boreholes in the area are drying up. The purported challenge is likely to impact on the sustainable supply of water services to households in the district and has the potential of leading to systematic violation of human rights.

Against this background, Commissioner Philile Ntuli and the Northern Cape Provincial Office will be conducting a Stakeholder Engagement on Water Security and Assurance of Water Supply in the Namakwa District Municipality scheduled to take place as follows:

Date                                                 :             Wednesday, 15 February 2023

Time                                                 :             10:00 AM to 13:00 PM

Municipal Area and Town           :             Nama Khoi Local Municipality, Okiep

The purpose of the Stakeholder Engagement on Water Security and Assurance of Water Supply is to:

• enquire about the state of water resources in the Namakwa District;
• ascertain the extent of water shortages and/or scarcity in the Namakwa District;
• establish what different role players can do to avoid water shortages and/or scarcity in the Namakwa District, and
• find out what plans, programmes and measures are in place to manage water shortages and/or scarcity and to ensure sufficient supply of water services in the Namakwa District.

The scheduled stakeholder engagements will be conducted in conjunction with the following

institutions:

1. Department of Water and Sanitation;
2. Bloemwater;
3. Northern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Authority;
4. Namakwa District Municipality;
5. Nama Khoi Local Municipality;
6. Khai-Ma Local Municipality;
7. Hantam Local Municipality;
8. Kamiesberg Local Municipality;
9. Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality, and
10. Richtersveld Local Municipality

Ends

Prepared by the Northern Cape Provincial Office of the South African Human Rights Commission.

For further information contact Mr. Anthony Wyngaard, Acting Provincial Manager, at Tel: 054 332 3993 / Cell: 074 134 6972; Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Buyisile July, Advocacy and Research Consultant at Tel: 054 332 3993 / Cell: 072 949 7578 ; Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.