The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has issued damning and binding findings on the water and sanitation crisis in Makana Local Municipality, characterizing the situation as a long-standing systemic failure rather than a simple service delivery challenge.
According to the Commission’s assessment, years of interventions, court processes, and oversight efforts have failed to improve living conditions for residents, who continue to endure inadequate access to basic services. The evidence presented, the Commission stated, goes beyond ordinary resource limitations and demonstrates a sustained failure to plan, maintain, operate, account for, and implement corrective measures regarding essential water and sanitation infrastructure. The core issue, it emphasized, is not merely scarcity of resources but the ineffective use, management, and governance of available resources and support measures.
Particular concern was raised about sanitation services. The Commission found that human dignity remains undermined in areas including N Street, Upper Nandi, Sun City, and Ronaskraal, where residents continue to rely on the bucket system more than two decades after national bucket eradication measures were introduced. This prolonged failure, the report states, violates residents’ constitutional rights to human dignity, environmental safety, and health.
Community representatives expressed deep frustration, noting that concerns have been raised for years through petitions, political organization, and appeals to national government. One community spokesperson referenced a petition with over 22,000 signatures submitted to the President demanding national intervention in Makana’s water crisis, stating they would review the SAHRC report to determine next steps for independent action. Residents also raised urgent health concerns, reporting that they are forced to consume water contaminated with E. coli, with vulnerable community members—including children and the elderly—falling ill as a result.
In response, municipality officials acknowledged engagement with the Commission’s process but disputed how their submissions were reflected in the final report. They expressed disappointment that responses provided under subpoena were not adequately represented, stating the report did not fully capture progress or efforts undertaken by the municipality.
The SAHRC emphasized that its findings regarding Makana Local Municipality are now binding and called for urgent corrective action to restore basic services and uphold residents’ dignity. The Commission reiterated that the crisis stems from governance and management failures within the system, not merely resource constraints, and stressed that immediate intervention is required to address the ongoing violation of fundamental rights.
