The community of the uThukela District has struggled with access to water for nearly six years, creating a crisis that has become a lived reality for thousands of residents. On Wednesday, 29 April, the Democratic Alliance (DA) briefed the media and the public regarding their formal action steps to address the failure of governance in the district.
The DA has announced plans to approach the courts, arguing that the municipality has fundamentally failed in its constitutional responsibility to deliver essential services.
Provincial Communications Manager for the DA, Zowakha Mbatha, detailed the extent of the crisis. She said: “The daily fear of not having access to a reliable water supply has gone on for longer than it should have. The DA has evidence from forensic findings to reports from the South African Human Rights Commission and failures by both provincial and national departments to intervene in this unfolding disaster.”
Mbatha noted that previous attempts at institutional intervention had proved fruitless. She said: “Every institution or opportunity to bring about change has been unable to do so.”
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal stated that it has been left with no choice but to utilise the judiciary as a last resort to uphold the constitutional rights of the residents. Mbatha explained the motivation behind the legal filing. She said: “We do so out of compassion for their plight and as a responsible political party of opposition and government in KwaZulu-Natal. The court must intervene as the problem is bigger than the municipality’s ability to deal with it.”
The party clarified that the legal action is intended to be constructive. Mbatha said: “The DA seeks to actively assist the uThukela District Municipality through this court order that we wish to obtain.”
The uThukela District Municipality was contacted for comment regarding the pending litigation and the service delivery allegations, but it did not respond by the time of publication.
