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 22 April 2020, demanding the provision of water tanks, reliable water supply, and sanitation packs for numerous communities lacking basic water access during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The South African Water Caucus (SAWC), a network of over twenty community-based and non-governmental organisations, argues that lack of access to clean water and reliable supply increases the risk of contracting COVID-19, as handwashing with soap is a key preventative measure.
• The SAWC references the Water and Sanitation Emergency Procurement COVID-19 Disaster Response Directions, published on 15 April 2020, which allow the Department to use emergency procurement for water, water tankers, water tanks, installation of tanks and stands, taps, communal stand pipes, ablution blocks, toilets, and sanitation packs (including soap, sanitisers, rubber gloves, and masks).
• The SAWC reports that the Department's water query hotline is ineffective for rural communities because many residents are unaware of the service or lack access to telephones and network coverage.
• The document identifies severe water and sanitation failures across multiple provinces, including the Western Cape, where some communities in Nduli, Tulbagh, and Wolseley have lacked water tanks or improved sanitation for 6-7 years, and farm dwellers in Robertson have not received water for three weeks.
• In Limpopo, the SAWC highlights extreme water scarcity and costs; in Shongoane, women may wait an entire day to fill a 20-litre bucket, and some households pay R500 for 2500 litres or R4 for 20 litres, which is unaffordable for most.
• The SAWC reports that in the Eastern Cape, communities in Nombanjane, Nxarxo, and Ngcizele have lacked water access for many years, and ten leaders from these areas were arrested on 14 April 2020 for contravening COVID-19 Emergency Regulations.
• In Mpumalanga, specifically in the informal settlement of Iraq (Phola/Ogies), women walking 2 kilometres to collect water have been turned away by police due to lockdown restrictions, leading some to collect water after dark to avoid detection.
• In KwaZulu-Natal, the Somkhele community has lacked adequate water access for years, with a single water tanker providing 2,500 litres on Wednesdays for a population estimated at 5,791 as of the 2011 national census.

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-letter-to-Minister-Sisulu-Urgent-request-for-water-supply-to-comm....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-letter-to-Minister-Sisulu-Urgent-request-for-water-supply-to-comm....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=22 April 2020 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SAWC-letter-to-Minister-Sisulu-Urgent-request-for-water-supply-to-comm....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-letter-to-Minister-Sisulu-Urgent-request-for-water-supply-to-comm....pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }