This week, residents of Kokosi closed off the provincial road in protest over the ongoing water crisis. Public Order Police (POP) were on the scene, and the protest has remained calm so far despite the high temperatures and growing frustration.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng joined residents at the protest to show solidarity. The affected areas have been without water for more than three weeks. Schools are being forced to send children home because the toilets cannot flush. The school feeding scheme is also affected as there is no water to cook food, so children are going hungry. It is exam time, and assessments are affected.
While on the ground, we spoke to several community members who told us that the municipality sent a water tanker to the area yesterday. However, it is believed that representatives of the ruling party allegedly began demanding payment for water, targeting sangomas, churches, and other vulnerable groups where they knew people would feel pressured to pay.
When DA activists in the area became aware of what was happening, they intervened. They took over the delivery and ensured the tanker was used to deliver water to affected households for free, as it should be.
A community petition is also circulating demanding action. We support this call. People are angry, and rightfully so.
This is not the time for political games. It is a crisis of dignity, health, and basic survival. We urge all residents to continue protesting peacefully and as a united municipality, not just from Kokosi.
We also remind everyone that water is a scarce and precious resource. Please use it sparingly where it is available.
The DA has already taken this crisis to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee, and the National Treasury. Our SAHRC complaint is backed by hundreds of resident affidavits. We have called on the Portfolio Committee of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) to summon Rand Water, the Minister of Water, and the National Treasury, which is now withholding key grants from Merafong in response to the financial collapse. We are renewing our call for urgent action from all oversight bodies.
We will continue to stand with residents until this crisis is resolved. A DA-led Gauteng provincial government will immediately put a turnaround strategy in place to ensure that the historic Rand Water debt is paid and that all residents have access to clean, safe drinking water.