WATCH | ‘Declare water crisis a national disaster’ - SAHRC tells government

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has called for the country’s worsening water crisis to be declared a national disaster, warning that the situation has reached “crisis proportions”. In a media statement, the commission said it would be issuing a letter to the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre recommending the classification and declaration of the water crisis as a national disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act. “The water crisis has reached a level where a broad, integrated and co-ordinated effort is required to turn the dire situation around,” said the SAHRC. The commission described an intervention of this magnitude as essential amid ongoing water shortages across the country, particularly in Johannesburg, where residents are facing weeks-long water disruptions. Drivers behind the crisis include insufficient budget for maintenance, infrastructure vandalism, the emergence of 'water mafias', and a skills deficit. The SAHRC warned that the lack of water impacts fundamental rights to healthcare and education, with schools being forced to close and clinics unable to operate properly.