URGENT REQUEST FOR PROVISION OF WATER TANKS, RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION PACKS TO COMMUNITIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER

The South African Water Caucus (SAWC) submitted an urgent request to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on April 30, 2020, demanding the provision of water tanks, reliable water supply, and sanitation packs for numerous communities across South Africa facing dire water shortages and sanitation failures during the COVID-19 lockdown.

• The SAWC reports that the Department of Water and Sanitation's official hotline (0800 200 200) is ineffective because calls are often unanswered or referred to unable municipalities, and rural communities frequently lack the telephone access or awareness needed to use it.
• In the Western Cape, multiple communities face severe water and sanitation crises: Shukushukuma, Esibheshe, and Bhekela residents use public toilets at a distant taxi rank or relieve themselves in wetlands; Joe Slovo and Khayelitsha residents lack soap and adequate water; and backyard dwellers in areas like Mitchell's Plain are limited to 350 litres of water per day by water management devices.
• Limpopo communities report critical failures in water infrastructure, including dry tanks in Steenbokpan and Shongoane that have been empty for five years, and residents in Ga-Madiba Village digging holes next to taps to reach water due to poor pressure.
• The Eastern Cape contains numerous areas with long-term water deprivation, such as the Centane region where 600 households lack access. In this region, 10 leaders were arrested on April 14, 2020, for contravening COVID-19 Emergency Regulations, while the municipality claimed water tanks should be a 'last resort' compared to fixing dry taps.
• In KwaZulu-Natal, the Somkhele community (estimated population 5,791 in 2011) relies on a single weekly water tanker providing only 2,500 litres of water.
• Other regional issues include the Tjovitjo squatter camp in Gauteng, where five families share one portable toilet that has not been sanitized since before the lockdown, and the Iraq informal settlement in Mpumalanga, where women are harassed by police while attempting to collect water.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2020). URGENT REQUEST FOR PROVISION OF WATER TANKS, RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION PACKS TO COMMUNITIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SAWC-follow-up-letter-to-Minister-Sisulu-Urgent-request-for-water-supp....pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. URGENT REQUEST FOR PROVISION OF WATER TANKS, RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION PACKS TO COMMUNITIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER. 2020. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SAWC-follow-up-letter-to-Minister-Sisulu-Urgent-request-for-water-supp....pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=URGENT REQUEST FOR PROVISION OF WATER TANKS, RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION PACKS TO COMMUNITIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER |date=30 April 2020 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SAWC-follow-up-letter-to-Minister-Sisulu-Urgent-request-for-water-supp....pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2020urgent, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{URGENT REQUEST FOR PROVISION OF WATER TANKS, RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION PACKS TO COMMUNITIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SAWC-follow-up-letter-to-Minister-Sisulu-Urgent-request-for-water-supp....pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }