Following the latest interruption in Louis Trichardt’s water supply, the Democratic Alliance (DA) filed a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

Local DA councillor Mr Brian du Plooy said they had proof to back up their claims. He has been actively trying to get water to desperate residents who have had little to no water since the beginning of February. The water that was available in some taps, however, started to turn murky and smelled bad.

On Tuesday, 16 February, Du Plooy announced that the water was not safe to drink. Both reservoirs that supply Louis Trichardt with drinking water had completely run dry and caused sediment to get into the system. At the same time, Du Plooy said, it came to light that the water supplied from the Albasini Dam had not been chemically treated, rendering it unfit for human consumption. This also forced Du Plooy to issue a public warning to residents, urging them to disinfect their water before use.

According to Du Plooy, the DA had tap water that was supplied from the Albasini Dam tested, which revealed that the water was untreated and unsafe to use. Upon enquiry last week, the Vhembe District Municipality denied these allegations. VDM municipal spokesperson Mr Matodzi Ralushai was somewhat elusive when asked about the alleged shortage of treatment chemicals at the water treatment plant. “The VDM continues to pump water from the Albasini Dam, but (the supply) is currently down for maintenance of the plant,” said Ralushai last week.

Ralushai further said that the VDM had faced serious challenges over the past months. The biggest challenge was municipal employees who chronically downed tools. Workers affiliated with the South African Municipal Workers’ Union went on strike for weeks in protest against VDM’s newly appointed municipal manager. Ralushai also stated that serious upgrade work needed to be done on the Albasini network because its infrastructure was completely outdated.

The DA, however, found the VDM’s excuses hard to swallow. Hence the DA’s provincial leader and corporate governance spokesperson Jacques Smalle (MPL) and NCOP member Beyers Smit (MP) officially lodged a complaint with the SAHRC for investigation. “We believe that the VDM and other water authorities are completely disregarding the residents’ right of access to clean water,” said Smalle.

Smalle and Du Plooy also lodged an appeal with the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Makoma Makhurupetje, to establish an interdepartmental task team to investigate Vhembe’s water supply crisis as a matter of urgency.

In the meantime, Du Plooy confirmed that water was being supplied to Louis Trichardt residents, and that the VDM had commenced with treating the water last week. He said that the water was now safe to drink, despite the amount of sediment in the water, as it was being treated.

Ralushai was again approached for comment regarding the complaint that was lodged with the SAHRC. He was also asked to comment on the fact that the DA was in possession of proof that residents were supplied with untreated water for a significant period of time. These questions were forwarded to Ralushai via email on Friday, 19 February. Numerous follow-up calls were made to him, and although he acknowledged receipt of the questions, he was yet to respond at the time of our going to press. The VDM did, however, indicate that their Internet was not working properly.