Constitutional Court operations disrupted by water supply problems
South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, is experiencing water supply problems that are impacting its operations.
The office of the chief justice has announced that the Constitutional Court has been unable to hold in-person hearings because of a water supply disruption in its facility.
This has been the case since the beginning of the current court term, which started on 1 November.
WATER SUPPLY ISSUES HAMPER CONSTITUTIONAL COURT ACTIVITIES
On Monday, 11 November, the office of the chief justice said the cause of the ongoing irregular water supply challenge is not yet known. However, it’s seemingly a common issue in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, where the office is located.
The office said the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure deployed a plumber after water leaks were detected, which also worsened the situation in the court. The leaks have since been addressed.
“While the court has a water tank installed for ablution facilities, this backup water supply lasts for only one working day, and the City of Johannesburg cannot refill it promptly daily to allow court operations to continue uninterrupted.
“As a result, the Constitutional Court has been unable to conduct physical or in-person court hearings,” the office of the chief justice said.
DA SAYS JOBURG IS COLLAPSING
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance in Johannesburg says over the past weeks it has become increasingly clear that the metro municipality is no longer on the brink of collapse, but is in fact collapsing.
The party said entities owned by the city, like Johannesburg Water and City Power, are unable to fulfil their mandates.
“People’s taps are dry, and their lights are off. The two single most important factors influencing whether or not people are able to live their lives is missing in Johannesburg,” DA caucus leader in Johannesburg Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said.
JOBURG WATER TO THROTTLE SUPPLY
In a bid to address the ongoing water crisis and to allow low reservoirs to recover, Johannesburg Water will begin throttling supply from Thursday, 14 November between 21:00 – 4:00.
Notably, there will be water supply during this period, however, pressure is expected to be low.