The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Merafong has officially submitted a formal complaint to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), calling for urgent intervention in the municipality’s persistent water crisis.

This follows continued service failures that have left many residents — particularly in high-lying areas of Carletonville, Fochville, and surrounding suburbs — without a stable water supply for weeks and, in some cases, even months.

By this week, areas such as Carletonville Extension 8 were again without water. “Paul Kruger Street also does not have water. This situation is making me really angry as it has been going on for five weeks,” a resident known only as Lea expressed on social media on July 11.

According to the DA’s Merafong constituency head, Ina Cilliers, the formal SAHRC submission includes 560 affidavits from affected residents, detailed survey data, and other documentation showing the sustained violation of residents’ constitutional rights.

“For months, the high-lying areas have been without a stable water supply, with some taps being dry for over three months. This is a clear violation of our residents’ human rights,” said Cilliers.

The DA cites Section 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees access to sufficient water as a basic human right. Alarmingly, some of the most severely affected areas are also those with the highest payment compliance — often exceeding 90%.

The party attributes the ongoing crisis to a combination of infrastructure failure by the Merafong City Local Municipality and deliberate water throttling by Rand Water. As a result, while some wards have relatively stable supply, others are subjected to long-term dry taps.

Adding to residents’ frustration is the complete lack of transparency. Neither Rand Water nor the municipality has provided clarity on water flow data or the decision-making process behind water distribution. “Residents are left in the dark, both literally and figuratively,” Cilliers noted.

In response, the DA is escalating the issue at multiple levels:

• In Parliament, DA MPs are putting direct pressure on Rand Water for answers.

• In the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, the party continues to hold the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) accountable.

• A resident-led survey is ongoing to map outage patterns across affected areas.

• A petition has also been submitted to National Treasury, urging urgent intervention into Merafong’s debt, which may be contributing to the throttled supply.

“The DA Gauteng has made it clear that this is not a partisan issue but one about dignity, life, and basic human rights,” Cilliers concluded.