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Rand Water’s refusal to respond to AfriForum’s request for clarity on the evidentiary basis for its claims of “persistently high-water consumption” in Gauteng, raises serious concerns about transparency during the ongoing water crisis, says the civil rights organisation.

Seven business days after AfriForum requested clarification on 10 February, Rand Water has neither acknowledged receipt nor provided a response. AfriForum’s follow-up letter on 17 February was also left unanswered.

In its media statement of 7 February, titled “High water consumption affecting water supply in parts of Gauteng”, Rand Water attributed current system strain and supply disruptions to “persistently high-water consumption”, particularly in Johannesburg and Tshwane Metro’s. AfriForum does not dispute that the bulk supply system is under pressure, nor that certain municipalities have exceeded their allocated volumes.

However, public communication by a state-owned entity that centres on the term “high consumption”, in a context where municipal non-revenue water and physical losses are widely acknowledged to be substantial, is reasonably interpreted by the public as assigning blame to households. Yet residents do not control leaking pipes, pressure management or maintenance within municipal networks.

In its letter, AfriForum pointed out that Rand Water, as a bulk supplier, measures volumes of treated water supplied at bulk off-take points to municipalities. On that basis, AfriForum asked four straightforward questions:

• On what data does Rand Water base its claim that system pressure is caused by “high water consumption”, rather than significant losses within municipal systems?
• Does Rand Water have access to verified, disaggregated data on billed and metered residential consumption in Gauteng’s metros that would substantiate claims of excessive household demand?
• If not, does Rand Water accept that its references to “high consumption” are necessarily based on bulk supply figures rather than household behaviour?
• Does Rand Water distinguish in its internal assessments and public communication between bulk volumes supplied and actual end-user consumption?

“These are not political questions, but technical and factual questions that a major public utility such as Rand Water should be able to answer without delay. If claims are being made about high consumption, the supporting data should be readily available. If bulk supply figures are being used as a substitute for verified consumption data, the public is being misled. In a crisis of this magnitude, misrepresenting the facts erodes public trust,” says Marais de Vaal, AfriForum’s Advisor for Environmental Affairs.

At a time when Gauteng residents are experiencing prolonged water outages and uncertainty, silence from a key public utility is unacceptable. If the facts support the narrative of excessive end-user consumption, Rand Water should place those facts on record. If not, its communication should clearly distinguish between high bulk supply and high municipal wastage.

Communities have the right to transparent, evidence-based communication during a crisis. AfriForum will continue to insist on clarity and accountability in the public interest.

Issued by AfriForum