East London March of Poor Communities for Water & Sanitation

Johannesburg- The Coalition Against Water Privatisation will march together with different poor communities in East-London on Thursday 28th August. The march will start at 09h00 from the East- London taxi rank from where it will proceed to the offices of the Buffalo City Municipality. A memorandum of demands will be handed over to the Municipality.

PRESS STATEMENT
Monday 25th August 2008

East London March of Poor Communities For Water & Sanitation on 28th August

PEOPLE BEFORE PROFITS

Johannesburg- The Coalition Against Water Privatisation will march together with different poor communities in East-London on Thursday 28th August. The march will start at 09h00 from the East- London taxi rank from where it will proceed to the offices of the Buffalo City Municipality. A memorandum of demands will be handed over to the Municipality.

Despite a litany of false promises made by the African National Congress (ANC) led Buffalo City Municipality, access to water still remains a dream for many poor residents in and around Buffalo City. The Municipality has continued to ignore residents of poor communities, who have used all the procedural and institutional means at their disposal to highlight their water, sanitation and other basic service problems. Instead of listening, and responding positively to the residents, the Buffalo City Municipality decided to install prepaid water meters in the community of Dark Cat without any consultation. As a result, many have started a campaign to remove the meters that deprive them of the right to adequate, affordable water and sanitation.

Many poor people are still without access to water and sanitation in/around East-London, especially those in outlying communities. People still travel long distances in search of clean water, a burden that falls especially on women.

The Coalition Against Water Privatisation will continue supporting community structures and struggles as long as people continue to be deprived of their constitutional and human right to adequate, affordable and accessible water and sanitation. The recent legal victory over Johannesburg Water (JW), City of Johannesburg (COJ) and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) has provided renewed impetus to many poor community struggles around water issues/problems. We will not allow the water struggle to rest until water and sanitation becomes, in practical, lived terms, a fundamental human right free from the scourge of profit making.

For info/comment please contact CAWP Organiser – Patrick ‘Patra’ Sindane on 073 052 7005