This was revealed by SAHRC commissioner Advocate Mohammed Ameermia during the wrap-up of his visit to the province yesterday.

Ameermia said he told premier Supra Mahumapelo that he was worried about the water problems the Klipgat C residents endured daily.

“We told the premier that we are worried that the people of Klipgat have been struggling with water since 2013. We have given him a report and want to know what the blockages are,” he said.

Ameermia was on a weeklong visit to the province to raise awareness and popularise socioeconomic, civil and political rights, with a particular emphasis on access to housing and access to justice.

“I am ready to file papers in court because people of Klipgat cannot suffer any longer. It’s either the matter is going to be resolved before we go to court or we proceed with the court process.”

He said the problem in South Africa was that there were resources that were being mismanaged.

“We have got the resources and we need to manage them and deliver to the people on the ground.”

He said in order for that to happen, government departments needed to start speaking to each other on how they planned to fix the problem.

“We see it as a violation of human rights when things are not being done, whether it’s politics or not, it’s irrelevant to us; at the end of the day we want to know whether the people of Klipgat will get water.”

In the SAHRC report, George Mkwanazi complained to the commission in March 2013, alleging that the Klipgat C residents had been without water for five weeks and that Madibeng local municipality failed to address the problem even after having made aware of it.

Klipgat C residents have been staying in their erstwhile rural area for over 50 years and previously relied on windmills for water.

The windmills had provided sufficient water until the influx of people into the area led to groundwater drying up. There are now 3 500 households living in the now peri-urban zone.

The water shortages began to be experienced in 1994.

In the report, the municipality said in April 2013 they started to supply water tanks, but the trucks that refill the water tanks were construction trucks and residents alleged that the water appeared dirty and not healthy for consumption.

Ameermia said Madibeng municipality has violated the Klipgat C residents’ right to access adequate clean drinking water.

Source: Sowetan