SAHRC to start KZN water inquiry on Monday
The South African Human Rights Commission inquiry into water
access in KwaZulu-Natal will open with testimony from a hydrologist.
The commission says it's been inundated with complaints about the province's water challenges for years.
NGOs, residents and government officials, including the premier, will give evidence over the course of the week.
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Pavershree Padayachee, who is the commission’s acting provincial manager, says they will also be looking at the extent to which organs of state had respected, protected and fulfilled the rights to sufficient water.
“In the main, we seek to determine whether the water authorities had violated the right to access to water as provided in the constitution and in terms of national legislation."
She says they're dealing with the impact the April floods had on access to water separately.
"It is also important to note that the systemic challenges related to access to water has exited far long before the occurance of the floods. And the floods has really upsetted the service of delivery in this regards to a much greater extent.”
