JOHANNESBURG — The Democratic Alliance (DA) has filed a lawsuit against the City of Johannesburg and Joburg Water, citing ongoing water shortages and the proposed 65% hike in the city’s water demand management levy from July as evidence of governance failures.
The legal action was announced on Monday, with the DA emphasizing that the water crisis is not a result of an unavoidable disaster but a direct consequence of poor governance, political failure, and deliberate inaction by the mayor and his mayoral committee.
The DA accuses the city of failing to uphold residents’constitutional right to water and of not implementing the 2023 Water Turnaround Strategy, which was adopted to address the failing water infrastructure.
The party has filed court papers against Johannesburg Water, the City, and Executive Mayor Dada Morero, giving them 10 days to respond to the application.
The lawsuit follows years of infrastructure collapse, lack of maintenance, and chronic water outages, as well as the ANC — led administration’s failure to act with the required urgency to protect residents and businesses.
The DA also claims that water tanker suppliers may be benefiting unduly from the crisis.
The DA’s focus on the Water Turnaround Strategy and the proposed levy hike underscores broader concerns about the city’s long-term water security, particularly as Johannesburg faces challenges of population growth and climate change.
The outcome of this legal battle could have significant implications for the city’s water management and infrastructure planning.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 5*
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This original article was produced by the ImNews editorial team
Source: enca
Source: Zandile.Khumalo
