Parliament is now hearing the Germiston water petition filed by DA member Steven Moore in September 2023.
Residents from the affected wards signed the document in response to ongoing water issues in their areas.
Recently, Moore submitted a notice of motion in Parliament calling for a debate on the Gauteng water crisis, stating that it was crippling businesses, killing investment and costing jobs in SA’s economic heartland.
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“If we want a growing economy that lifts people from poverty, we must first fix our failing water infrastructure. SA cannot afford to keep losing billions due to mismanagement and neglect,” said Moore.
Moore told Parliament that the DA supports the portfolio committee’s report on the petition submitted by his colleague, MP Michelle Clarke, on behalf of the wards 20, 36, 39 and 92 residents in Germiston.
“This petition was submitted over a year ago, yet the water crisis in Germiston persists. Even more concerning is that Parliament’s records incorrectly refer to Ward 26 instead of Ward 36.”
He rebuked Parliament, adding, “This is not a simple clerical error. It reflects the lack of urgency and care with which this issue has been handled.
Residents should not have to wait over a year for action, nor should they have to deal with mistakes that undermine the credibility of this process.
“The petition highlights the deeper failures of water provision in Gauteng – Rand Water’s supply constraints, Ekurhuleni’s underperforming reservoirs and a lack of urgency in completing critical projects,” said Moore.
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“While temporary measures like water tankers provide relief, they are no substitute for reliable infrastructure.
“Projects like the additional 22.5ML Russell Road Reservoir remain incomplete due to connection delays by Rand Water, delays meant to be resolved years ago. Now, we are told to wait until April.”
Germiston’s struggle is not an isolated case, he said, adding that it is part of the broader Gauteng water crisis, where demand is growing, infrastructure is crumbling, and mismanagement has left many communities without access to a stable water supply.
“But Germiston has something many communities don’t – a strong DA representation. Dedicated ward councillors and their member of Parliament, Michelle Clarke, have fought to bring this issue to Parliament.”
He said that across Gauteng, many live in communities where water failures go unchallenged.
“Many councils neglect infrastructure, and communities suffer in silence because their leaders do not fight for them.
Every South African deserves access to clean, reliable water, no matter where they live,” said Moore.
To address this crisis, they demand:
• Timely reporting on project completion: The department, Rand Water, and the CoE must meet their May deadline to report on the completion of the Russell Road Reservoir and other infrastructure projects. Residents cannot wait indefinitely.
• Clarity on the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase 2: The department was supposed to have a report by February 28 on how much additional water from this project will be allocated to Rand Water for Gauteng, including Ekurhuleni. That deadline has passed. Where is the report?
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• Greater oversight on municipal water losses: The department must finalise the National Non-Revenue Water Reduction Strategy promised by March. Ekurhuleni’s 29% water loss still represents millions of litres wasted daily.
“The people of Germiston have waited long enough. They do not need more discussions; they need water. We will continue to hold the department, Rand Water, and municipalities accountable.
“When reports are promised, they must be delivered. When deadlines are set, they must be met. Let’s ensure everything leads to real action,” said Moore in Parliament.
Local councillors Wendy Morgan (Ward 36) and Kade Guerreiro (Ward 92), who participated in the petition, echoed Moore’s views.
They concurred this was a victory for the people because Parliament heard the petition. Due to Rand Water’s maintenance, a portion of Morgan’s ward had no water on Saturday morning (March 8) at the time of this interview.
Residents must still deal with these persistent realities because of outdated infrastructure that was not regularly maintained.
She was thrilled to report some encouraging developments at the Hilltop Pump Station and the Churchill Reservoir.
“The Dawnview area will run out of water first because the Hilltop Pump Station lacks a generator. The Churchill Reservoir can last up to four hours, depending on its capacity,” said Morgan.
“Now that they have a generator for the reservoir, it should start automatically during load shedding, otherwise we would run out of water. Plans to have a reservoir have existed since 2016 but have not materialised.
“By having tanks or gathering rainwater, residents have learnt to survive in these conditions.
‘Because we are on a direct feed, we use what the reservoir receives, so people fill their JoJo tanks first, which causes the reservoir to take longer to fill up when water returns.
“I must give credit where credit is due, though, because the city tries to address some of our issues, such as water meters and leaking pipes. The difficulty is that some tasks require outsourcing, which makes them time-consuming.
“When the DA-led coalition worked to improve the city’s income collection up to 30 days, it made all the difference. We now sit at five to 10 days of cash flow, which makes it hard to pay our contractors on time. Hence, projects are abandoned and some issues are not attended to in time.
“Water and Eskom bills must be paid, and service providers, including the small ones, cannot wait 30 to 60 days for payment, or else they would close their doors,” said Morgan.
According to Guerreiro, Gauteng and the nation are water-scarce and urgently require water security. The next step is to watch the petition’s outcomes, he said.
“We quickly lose water during load-shedding because Ekurhuleni has not reimbursed the contractors for the fuel required to operate the generator at the Northridge Pump Station.
“The pump station is never at full capacity. The generator is 100l – divided by the price of a litre, and it costs a hefty amount,” said Guerreiro.
“Areas like Sunnyrock and Sunridge would run out of water first and receive water last because we are on a direct-fed system and up the hill.”
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Guerreiro said the petition is a win for the people who, he believes, now recognise the effectiveness of petitions regardless of how long they take.
“It demonstrates to the community that we can accomplish more when we band together.
“If nothing changes over the next six months, we will hold the local and provincial governments responsible and bring the matter back to Parliament,” said Guerreiro.
“The war for water security in all our Germiston wards continues. However, this time, we are more confident that we are heading in the right direction,” said Guerreiro.
