The Democratic Alliance has filed legal papers against Johannesburg Water, the City of Johannesburg and Mayor Dada Morero in the South Gauteng High Court, claiming the authorities have violated residents’ constitutional rights to water.
The court application, filed today 11 May, seeks to hold the ANC-led administration accountable for what the DA describes as catastrophic mismanagement of the city’s deteriorating water infrastructure and chronic service failures that have left residents without water for weeks.
Helen Zille, DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate, announced the legal action, stating that the crisis facing Johannesburg is not the result of an unavoidable disaster but rather the direct consequence of political failure and poor governance.
The city and mayor now have 10 court days to respond to the application.
Years of infrastructure collapse
The court papers detail years of accelerated infrastructure breakdown, inadequate maintenance and persistent water outages across Johannesburg. The DA argues that the current administration has failed to act with the urgency required to protect residents and businesses from the worsening crisis.
Central to the legal challenge is the city’s failure to implement the Johannesburg Water Turnaround Strategy, which was adopted by council in 2023. The strategy provides a roadmap to stabilise and rehabilitate the city’s water infrastructure, identifying critical interventions needed to restore operational efficiency, reduce water losses, improve maintenance and secure reliable water supply.
Despite having National Treasury support, implementation of the strategy has stalled under Mayor Morero’s administration, according to the DA’s court papers.
Constitutional obligations
The DA’s legal argument centres on claims that Johannesburg Water and the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality have failed in their constitutional and legal obligations to residents by not taking adequate and reasonable steps to address the ongoing crisis.
The party argues that deliberate inaction by the mayor, his mayoral committee and the administration has directly contributed to the current state of the city’s water system.
“The DA is determined to ensure that those responsible for this crisis are held accountable and that urgent action is taken to fix Johannesburg’s broken water system before even greater damage is done,” Zille said.
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Wider implications
The legal action comes as water infrastructure failures continue to affect thousands of Johannesburg residents, with some areas experiencing outages lasting weeks. The crisis has impacted households, businesses and essential services across the metropolitan area.
The court application represents an escalation in the DA’s campaign to force action on the water crisis, moving from political pressure to legal intervention in an attempt to compel the city to implement the approved turnaround strategy.
The matter will now proceed through the South Gauteng High Court, with the outcome potentially setting a precedent for municipal accountability on service delivery and constitutional obligations to provide water to residents.
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