Johannesburg Metro is violating Coronationville’s water rights, says Cape Forum

Cape Forum is deeply disturbed by the events in the Johannesburg suburb of Coronationville where residents have been forced to protest over the past few days due to the non-provision of water services.

“The non-provision of water rights is a serious violation of a basic human right of the community,” says Heindrich Wyngaard, Chairperson of Cape Forum. “We find it completely unacceptable that the elderly, the sick and children all have to suffer because of a clear inability of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality to provide this service.”

Cape Forum expresses its support for the community that is rebelling against the Johannesburg Metro. “It appears that the council is more concerned about who is in charge than they are about service delivery,” says Wyngaard.

Cape Forum believes that the current situation is – in the run-up to the next local elections – a wake-up call to the community to ensure that next time they vote for representatives who truly care about the people and not positions.

The organisation also notes that allegations of improper conduct are being made against the South African Police Service (SAPS) public order unit. These allegations should be lodged as complaints with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).

Wyngaard says: “Our organisation advocates for the rights of specifically coloured communities. We cannot therefore remain silent when abuses are committed against our people – even if it is in a different province than where our head office is located.”

Cape Forum will monitor together with the community whether the Metro, as undertaken by the mayor the day before yesterday, will implement a solution. Enough empty promises have already been made.