The purpose of the meeting was to hear the concerns of the affected communities and to facilitate discussions between the parties in order to assist them in reaching an amicable solution following the tensions and resultant protest action that is currently on-going.

The Commission learnt that residents in the Phoenix area are equally affected by the lack of access to water. The Commission noted a number of challenges, some of which have already been previously identified in the Commissions Inquiry on Access to water that was held in August 2022.  Many of these issues such as the aging infrastructure, insufficient budget allocations to attend to repairs and/or routine maintenance, lack of transparency and/or adequate communication from the relevant authorities as well as challenges with the water tankering system remain systemic and on-going challenges which continue to violate the right to access water for a number of communities in the Province. Some of these issues require both long- and short-term interventions /measures being implemented.

The Commission resolved that regular meetings will be scheduled and facilitated by eThekwini Municipality.  These meetings will take place twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays and will consist of representatives from the Commission, affected communities and the relevant key officials from the municipality, Umgeni Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation until access to water has been restored.       

The Commission remains concerned with the on-going violation of the constitutional right to have access to water and the length of time that it is taking the respective authorities to restore the supply of water to affected residents/communities.  The Commission appeals for tolerance and for all parties to continue to respect each other’s rights and to work together in addressing this crisis.

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Ends

For further information contact SAHRC KZN Provincial Manager, Ms Pavershree Padayachee on Tel: 031 304 7323 or Cell: 082 802 9111 or via Email at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.