AfriForum lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) regarding the quality of Kimberley’s drinking water. This follows after AfriForum received various complaints from residents after they have already been struggling for months with problems, among other things that the drinking water being provided is not suitable for human consumption.
AfriForum more than once took water samples from taps, outlets and reservoirs in Kimberley and tested it at a SANAS accredited laboratory. These results showed that the water was not suitable for human consumption because E. coli was present in the water. The results also showed that the turbidity of the water was as high as 5,4 while the admissible turbidity must be between 0 and 1.
AfriForum brought the results of these tests to Sol Plaatje Local Municipality’s attention. Three letters were sent to Boy Daluwayo, Acting Municipal Manager, and Sabelo Mkhize, Water Services Manager. The municipality never replied to the mentioned letters. The municipality did indeed agree to meet with AfriForum. Two meetings were convened with the aim to cooperate.
“We always try to cooperate with municipalities and other authorities before we consider crossing swords,” says Lambert de Klerk, AfriForum’s Manager of Environmental Affairs. “If cooperation is however not possible we turn to other forums to thus protest our members’ constitutional rights. We walked out of both meetings with a positive feeling after we offered our assistance to the municipal manager and at that stage it seemed as if cooperation will be possible. Later it became clear that the municipality will not accept the assistance we offered. After more than a month there has not been much of an improvement in the quality of the drinking water,” De Klerk further says.
For that reason AfriForum on 19 July sent a letter of demand to the Municipality to bring the quality of the water in line with legislation within 48 hours. The municipality did not respond to AfriForum’s request and also did not comply with the letter. That is why the civil rights organisation on 23 July submitted complaints to the SAHRC. The SAHRC acknowledged receipt of the complaints.
“It is sad that our once beautiful city is falling into such decay,” says Ian Smith, Chairman of AfriForum’s Kimberley branch. “Taxpayers are tired of being left to their own devices and we hope that the SAHRC can intervene so that we can get our basic right to clean drinking water back.
Become involved with AfriForum’s Kimberley branch today still: SMS “Kimberley” to 45350 (R1) and in this way make a positive contribution.