ANC mulls court action against Tshwane council over ‘tainted’ water

The ANC is mulling taking the DA-led coalition governing the Tshwane Metro to court over an Outa-commissioned analysis that found traces of E. coli in Hammansksraal’s water supply, the party said on Thursday.

“The ANC is consulting with human rights attorneys with the intention of taking the DA-led coalition in the Tshwane municipal council to court regarding the provision of dirty and toxic water to the residents of Hammanskraal,” said Eugene Modise, its regional secretary.

“The City of Tshwane is unashamedly trampling on the human rights of our residents in Hammanskraal. Access to clean water is a universal human right.”

The party accused Mayor Stevens Mokgalapa of “bumbling” about the crisis on radio without a tangible solution, as people were admitted to hospital for illnesses allegedly contracted as a result of the water situation.

This was after the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse released the findings of a private analysis done on water sampled in the vast suburb along the N1 north of Pretoria.

On Wednesday, mayoral spokesperson Omogolo Taunyane denied the water was unsafe, saying sediment was found in the pipeline, and it was being examined.

On Thursday, she said the mayoral office welcomed the ANC’s court action over the matter.

“The City refutes all allegations by the party, calling it cheap politicking by spreading untruths in the public domain.”

The matter would be addressed at a SA Human Rights Commission hearing set for August 20, Taunyane added.

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