Background

Water Shedding / Water Shifting, a foreign doctrine first introduced in 2021, amounts to water deprivation under another label. It undermines the constitutional rights of citizens and has been widely used as an excuse for incompetence by the unskilled.

Our Constitution guarantees the right to life, and without water, there can be no life. This principle led to the implementation of the Water Services Act, which enshrines the right of access to basic water supply. Yet this Act is now widely disregarded.

Those with disregard have gone so far as to condone this contravention, resulting in continued systemic failures and violations of human rights.

Contraventions
•     Water Shedding constitutes deprivation of a basic human necessity, directly contradicting the Constitution.
•     The practice disregards the Water Services Act, which obligates the State to ensure access to water.
•     Those who condone this practice are complicit in mass human rights violations, particularly in Johannesburg West and other affected regions, and must be held accountable.

We, the undersigned, therefore Petition Government to:

1.     Abolish the foreign doctrine of Water Shifting / Water Shedding, which is nothing more than deprivation disguised as policy, and is widely used as an excuse for incompetency and service delivery failures.
2.     Intervene by holding those accountable who recklessly condone this doctrine, as their actions constitute a clear contravention of the Constitution and perpetuate mass human rights violations.
3.     Uphold the Constitution by ensuring accountability for those responsible for these contraventions, and by restoring the fundamental right of all South Africans to reliable access to water.
4.     Roll out Municipal Backup Systems to affected residents whenever municipalities fail to realize their constitutional mandate, ensuring that no community is left without water.

Conclusion

Water is life. Denying citizens access to water under the guise of “shedding” is unconstitutional, unethical, and unacceptable.

We therefore appeal for immediate action to protect the rights, dignity, and health of all South Africans.