The AfriForum branch in Louis Trichardt today served a court application for contempt of a court order on the Vhembe District Municipality, as well as the Municipal Manager. The court application has provisionally been scheduled for 28 March 2017 to consequently grant an order that declares that the Municipality did not comply with the orders of the North Gauteng High Court of 2 October 2012 and 16 May 2013.
The application was launched because the Municipality failed to maintain and safeguard Louis Trichardt’s borehole infrastructure. Compliance with these orders entails among others that the Municipality must not only repair the town’s water supply, but must once again establish the borehole project, as well as protect the boreholes against vandalism. The Municipality must also give notice regarding the date when the community will be stranded without water, as well as the time frame of such an incident.
“Access to water is a basic constitutional right and taxpayers are paying for services that they are not receiving – it is unacceptable,” says Chris Boshoff, AfriForum’s Regional Coordinator for Limpopo.
If the court grants an order on 28 March 2017 and the Municipality doesn’t comply with it, AfriForum will not only ask for the conviction of the Mayor, but also that the Municipal Manager be found guilty of contempt of a court order and subsequently demand that both of them are handed a jail sentence of 60 days.
“Desperate residents of Louis Trichardt are placing all their hope on this court case and that it will once again restore full water supply to the town. The District Municipality had many opportunities to carry out a simple borehole plan that would have stopped the water crisis, without any action. The outcome of this court case must enforce implementation,” says Wally Schultz, Chairperson of the AfriForum branch in Louis Trichardt.
Become involved at your local AfriForum branch: SMS “Tak” to 45340 (R1).