The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is urging people to make written submissions on water issues in Gauteng.
According to the commission, Gauteng is “experiencing a sustained and deepening water crisis characterised by persistent shortages, intermittent supply, infrastructure failures, ageing and poorly maintained systems, contamination risks, governance failures, and inadequate emergency response mechanisms”.
In a statement this week, the SAHRC’s Gauteng office announced it will be hosting an inquiry into the provision of sufficient, safe, acceptable, and affordable water. The public has until April 30 to send contributions before the commission holds formal inquiry hearings from May 19 to 21.
The commission said it had been inundated with complaints. Rather than continuing to respond to individual cases, the SAHRC decided to launch a formal investigation into the scale and persistence of these failures. It noted the crisis had had a disproportionate impact on poor and vulnerable communities, informal settlements and vital institutions such as schools and health facilities.
The investigation was also prompted by the emergence of “water tanker mafias” due to prolonged outages and the lack of functional municipal tankers, leading to the profiteering and commodification of water.
The March 2026 Gauteng water dashboard reveals a system under pressure from high demand, critically low reservoir storage, and significant water losses. Non-revenue water remains high, with losses reaching 49% in Johannesburg, 44% in Tshwane and 31% in Ekurhuleni, alongside tens of thousands of reported leaks.
Earlier this year, water and sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina referred directly to the “Gauteng water crisis” and authorised an additional 200-million cubic metres of water for abstraction until June, while municipalities implement controlled throttling and load-shifting to stabilise the system.
Majodina blamed water challenges on municipal infrastructure failures and overconsumption.
Civic organisation WaterCAN welcomed the SAHRC inquiry. Executive director Ferrial Adam has urged residents and affected communities to make submissions so that the full extent of the crisis and its impact on people’s daily lives is properly placed on record.
“We also believe the inquiry’s findings must carry real weight with binding outcomes and meaningful consequences for those responsible. WaterCAN will be making its own submission to the inquiry.”
Water activist and director of environmental services firm Living Wisdom Strategic Solutions, Tarryn Johnston, said the inquiry was long overdue. “Gauteng’s water crisis is not escalating. It has already crossed into systemic failure,” she said. –GroundUp
