Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

Data obtained by AfriForum shows Gauteng residents wrongly blamed for water crisis, Metros also guilty

AfriForum is raising the alarm over the misleading narrative pushed by government entities regarding the escalating water crisis in Gauteng. Last week, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation again made an appeal for residents to “use water sparingly” and “urgently reduce consumption to global norms”. AfriForum argues that these ongoing appeals are based on the misinterpretation of data, which unfairly and solely place the blame on consumers. All the while diverting attention from Gauteng’s Metropolitan Municipalities’ (Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane) mismanagement of the resource.

The claim that law-abiding residents are using too much water and must urgently cease in doing so or risk being punished with further water restrictions, is based on the overall daily water consumption per capita. These figures are grossly inflated by the occurrence of water leaks and illegal connections, as well as unregulated water consumption by municipalities themselves.

“These figures do not reflect actual household water usage, yet continue to form the basis of the narrative about high water consumption. Law-abiding residents are therefore implicitly accused of wasting water, despite the fact that in some cases these residents are using less water,” says Marais de Vaal, AfriForum’s Advisor for Environmental Affairs.

Earlier this year AfriForum submitted formal applications in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to all three metros to obtain access to detailed records on water usage over the past five years (July 2019 to June 2024). Only the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality provided information in this regard.

“The failure of the other two municipalities to make this important information available raises serious concerns about their commitment to transparency and their ability to address the crisis,” says De Vaal.

A preliminary analysis of the Tshwane Metro’s water consumption has meanwhile shown several contradictions to the narrative that residents are simply using too much water and that this is the only contributing factor to the water crisis. These figures show, on the contrary, that less and less water consumption is being metered – there have been 3,8% fewer water meters connected to the system over the past five years, despite a growing population – and that those that are metered, legally obtained and paid for are seeing their usage decreasing (4,5%).

The Municipality itself is also one of the culprits when it comes to extreme water usage. According to available figures, the Tshwane Metro’s water consumption for its own purposes has skyrocketed by 433% over the past five years. This water is used, among other things, for firefighting, to flush systems for maintenance and repair work and to keep municipal grounds and fountains running.

Meanwhile, a third of all water pumped into the Tshwane Metro’s system is lost due to illegal connections, theft and water leaks.

“These figures are a more accurate measure of household water consumption than the inflated daily water consumption per capita, which in no way takes into account the municipalities’ failures with regard to combating illegal connections and maintaining water infrastructure,” says De Vaal.

“It also clearly undermines the suggestions that rising consumer demand is driving the crisis. On the contrary, billed consumers appear to be using less water — not more. The cause of the problem lies elsewhere and until this fact is acknowledged, no real or sustainable solutions will be found.”

AfriForum is in the process of fully analysing the Tshwane Metro’s water consumption records. Once all the relevant information has been thoroughly processed, a comprehensive report will be released.

AfriForum is meanwhile calling on the metros concerned to refrain from using residents as a scapegoat and to start dealing with the real issues – outdated infrastructure that is not properly maintained, gross mismanagement of the resource and serious water losses driven by illegal connections and leaks.