We, the residents, business owners, and ratepayers of the Lesedi Local Municipality (including Heidelberg, Rensburg,  Ratanda and surrounding areas), are living through a catastrophic water crisis.

The municipality has allowed its debt to bulk water supplier Rand Water to escalate to a staggering R122 million. Because the municipality failed to honor its Debt Settlement Agreement and missed its immediate milestone payment of R27 million, Rand Water has implemented a 20% credit control pressure reduction, plunging our community into a severe water crisis.

To make matters worse, the municipality is using this debt dispute to hide years of poor infrastructure maintenance. The lower intake pressure has completely crippled unmaintained local pump stations and reservoirs, leaving high-lying areas without a single drop of water for days on end. The roaming water tankers are chaotic, inconsistent, and entirely insufficient. Our right to human dignity, basic sanitation, and clean water (Section 27 of the Constitution) is being actively violated.
We can no longer rely on local officials who deflect accountability. We demand immediate higher-level intervention.

By signing this petition, we demand that:
The Gauteng MEC for COGTA immediately intervenes under Section 139 of the Constitution to take over Lesedi’s financial administration, ring-fence ratepayer funds, and negotiate a settlement with Rand Water to restore full pressure.
The Public Protector launches a forensic audit into where our collected water rates have been spent.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) deploys independent engineers to fix the broken internal municipal valves and pump networks.

Footnote: On 1 July 2026, civil unrest broke out in Ratanda amid growing public frustration over the ongoing water crisis. IPID has confirmed the sad fact of two confirmed  fatalities as well as several injuries.  Police are shooting rubber bullets at people who needs water...