Durban - The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has postponed the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Inquiry on Access to Water which was scheduled to be conducted from July 4 to 15.
The commission said there were scheduling challenges with a range of stakeholders which it planned to hear from.
It said as a result, the postponement was necessary.
“Rescheduling the hearing has been prioritised by the commission to commence at the earliest possible time in the future.
“Given historical challenges around access to water in many parts of the province, the commission will continue its ongoing efforts to intervene with a view to securing interim access while new hearing dates are scheduled,” it said.
Last month, The Mercury’s sister publication, the Daily News, reported the commission had launched the inquiry as in recent years the KZN provincial office had been inundated with complaints relating to challenges with access to water in various districts in the province.
It said this issue of poor or no access to water remains a current day-to-day challenge for many residents, communities, schools, businesses and other organisations across the province and these challenges.
“Most municipalities’ responses to the complaints are inadequate in that they are unable to provide appropriate and sustainable redress to the affected communities.
“As such these complaints amount to a prima facie violation of the basic human right to have access to sufficient clean water and given its far-reaching impact on all affected communities, there is a need for a strategic intervention to address these challenges in the short, medium and long term,” said the commission.