25 May 2026
The African National Congress (ANC) Study Group on Water and Sanitation welcomes the ongoing hearings conducted by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) into the Gauteng water challenges.
The appearance of the Merafong City, Lesedi, and Midvaal local municipalities before the commission highlights the critical role played by Chapter 9 institutions in upholding accountability.
The Study Group firmly reaffirms the ANC’s unwavering support for the SAHRC and all other Section 181 Institutions Supporting Constitutional Democracy.
We view their independent oversight not as a challenge to governance, but as a necessary mechanism to ensure that the constitutional rights of our people are protected and advanced.
The challenges brought forward during the inquiry—ranging from aging infrastructure and staff shortages to local geological threats such as sinkholes in Merafong—reiterate the urgency of structural interventions.
In line with the directives of the ANC 2024 Manifesto and subsequent National Makgotla, the democratic movement remains resolute in its commitment to providing clean, quality water that is equally accessible and reliable for all South Africans. The resolutions of the 55th National Conference explicitly task the state with accelerating infrastructure renewal and eliminating the disparities in basic service delivery that continue to affect the poor and working-class communities most adversely.
Our commitment to resolving these systemic bottlenecks is backed by bold executive action. As outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa in the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SoNA), the government has committed an unprecedented R156 billion dedicated specifically to water and sanitation infrastructure over the next three years.
Furthermore, the newly enacted South African Water Resources Infrastructure Agency (SAWRIA) Act will institutionalize our capacity to build, fund, and manage national bulk water assets effectively and ensure water security by DWS, thus helping to stabilize water supply to Water Boards and Water Service Authorities.
The Study Group commends the R30 million capital injection from the Department of Water and Sanitation alongside the technical support from Rand Water to stabilize local supply in Merafong. However, municipal structural deficiencies must be decisively confronted. In accordance with SoNA 2026, the ANC supports rigorous accountability measures, including invoking the performance-linked local government reforms and implementing the Split Delivery model for municipalitie: a structural intervention mechanism introduced by the National Treasury in the 2026 Budget to address severe service delivery failures, chronic underspending, and governance collapse within municipalities that consistently fail to meet their service delivery targets.
Water is a fundamental human right; we will ensure that local government authorities prioritize infrastructure maintenance, safeguard public revenue, and deliver the reliable services our people deserve.
While we place a huge premium on state capacity, we equally urge ANC structures in Gauteng to mobilize for civic activism that complements municipal legal and Constitutional obligations of providing water and sanitation, rather than passively watch bureaucracy in motion from the sidelines.
Issued by the Whip of the ANC Study Group on Water and Sanitation, Cde Sello Dithebe
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