The South Gauteng High Court has been forced to shutdown due to Johannesburg’s ongoing water shortages. Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi / Independent Newspapers
ONE of the country’s busiest courts has been temporarily shut down due to water shortages around Johannesburg while the DA has lodged a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on the ongoing crisis.
The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) announced to the public, court users and legal practitioners that the South Gauteng High Court in downtown Johannesburg temporarily closed on Thursday morning due to the ongoing water shortage affecting the country’s economic hub.
”Affected parties will be contacted regarding alternative arrangements for all matters scheduled on the court roll for the day,” the OCJ explained, also apologising for any inconvenience caused by the announcement.
The closure of the high court in Joburg, which along with the North Gauteng High Court in Tshwane, are the busiest and largest in the country comes as the DA complained to the SAHRC about the ongoing water crisis.
DA member of the Gauteng provincial legislature Jack Bloom said residents have struggled with erratic water supply and some have been completely without water for three weeks.
”They try to cope with the trickle that flows at night, or they chase the few water tankers that are around,” he said.
Bloom added that the City of Johannesburg is in breach of Section 27(1)(b) of the Constitution that ensures everyone has the right to sufficient water.
He said the DA has handed in hundreds of testimonials from residents about the hardship of water shortages including difficulties in keeping clean, flushing toilets, preparing food, the effect on families looking after babies and sick people, illnesses picked up and the extra expense for households and businesses.
”The SAHRC needs to hold Johannesburg Council accountable and ensure immediate relief for residents affected by 28 out of 61 reservoirs and towers that are critically low or completely empty,” Bloom added.
The DA in Gauteng also called on the provincial government to declare a disaster and urgently assist embattled residents with extra water tankers while addressing the underlying causes of the persistent water crisis.
Joburg Water on Thursday indicated that systems are currently impacted by varying network challenges primarily due to high demand exceeding available capacity.
The entity explained that its systems performance was also impacted by power failure in the eMfuleni Local Municipality in the Vaal, which disrupted Rand Water’s Forest Hill and Eikenhof system.
”The power supply was restored last night which allowed Rand Water to start pumping. Rand Water has confirmed that both systems are pumping at full load,” Joburg Water added, warning that its systems are still under strain resulting in lower reservoir and tower levels.
loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za