International Sign -on Letter of Protest Against Pre-paid Water
Friday 14 September 2007
We are writing because it has come to our attention that Johannesburg Water in partnership with Suez is in effect violating one of the most celebrated achievements of South Africa’s transition to democracy. The South African Constitution and the enshrined Bill of Rights provides that, "everyone has the right to have access to sufficient water".
February, 2004
Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Mr Ronnie Kasrils Minister for Provincial and Local Government, Mr Sydney Mufamadi Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr Penuel Maduna
Governmental Ministers
We are writing because it has come to our attention that Johannesburg Water in partnership with Suez is in effect violating one of the most celebrated achievements of South Africa’s transition to democracy. The South African Constitution and the enshrined Bill of Rights provides that, "everyone has the right to have access to sufficient water".
Ministers, as you know, South Africa is also a signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This Covenant explicitly acknowledges, "water is a public good fundamental for life and health Ö the human right to water is indispensable for leading a life of human dignity, it is prerequisite for the realization of other human rights".
We believe the French multinational Suez (through partnership with Johannesburg Water) is effectively overlooking both this International Covenant and the South African Constitutional right of access to sufficient water by installing pre-paid water meter systems in poor and primarily black communities of Johannesburg.
Pre-paid water meter systems and the associated policy of ’cost recovery’ has resulted in price increases, hitting poor communities the hardest. Unable to pay, poor families have been cut-off from their water supplies -as many as ten million people have been affected by cut-offs since the end of apartheid. Those poor communities without previous access to clean water have either suffered the same fate once infrastructure was provided or have simply had to make do with sourcing water from polluted streams and far-away boreholes.
The collective impact of water privatization on the majority of South Africans has been devastating. The desperate search for any available source of water has resulted in cholera outbreaks that have claimed the lives of hundreds. Inadequate hygiene and ’self-serve’ sanitation systems have led to continuous exposure, especially for children to various preventable diseases.
There has been an increase in environmental pollution and degradation arising from uncontrolled effluent discharges. There is a scarcity of water for food production. And, the human dignity of entire communities has been ripped apart, as the right to the most basic of human needs, water, has been turned into a restricted privilege available only to those who can afford it.
Clearly, this policy and the reliance on foreign water corporations like Suez violate the spirit and intent of the Bill of the Rights and the International Covenant on Rights.
Ministers, there is also considerable evidence from Suez’s international track record that your governments national and international obligations to provide South African citizens sufficient water services via Suez in particular, is in jeopardy.
Not long ago, Suez was the company leading the globalization of private water operations, declaring that bringing water to the poor is one mission that the company was committed to, yet in it’s Strategic Action Plan from January 2003 Suez revealed its new corporate strategy which essentially is to abandon projects which are problematic, risky or not as lucrative - mostly in the developing countries.
Ministers of South Africa, we urge you to examine the experiences of other countries with Suez and with pre-paid metering systems in general which have a deleterious impact on communities and have proven to be contravention of basic human rights.
Pre-paid water meters were declared illegal in the United Kingdom (U.K.) under the Water Act of 1998. The U.K demonstrated the courage to end a disastrous policy after research showed pre-paid water meters were linked to increased cases of dysentery and other diseases related to lack of clean water.
That lesson is already known to South Africans from the 2001 cholera outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal province, which showed conclusively this disaster was linked to policies of increased cost recovery, the installation of pre-paid meters, and the special vulnerability of people living with HIV or cholera.
The pricing or tariff structures for water are not sufficiently "progressive", penalizing those who consume relatively little while continuing to subsidize those who consume a lot.
Given, Suez’s corporate retreat from less lucrative ventures there is reason to be concerned with Suez’s capacity to honor the public policy intent behind the ’free water’ policy.
Ministers, as you know, the resistance campaign to pre-paid water meters is growing and gaining support internationally - the likely outcome will be increased notoriety for Suez and its’ supply chain manufacturers.
Ministers, finally we urge you to closely examine the track record of Suez in places like Manila, Philippines; Buenos Aires, Argentina; New Delhi, India; Halifax, Canada; New Rochelle, and Atlanta USA and their operations in France. You will find that Suez has a legacy o problems including early termination of contracts, fines from regulatory agencies, unfulfilled contractual agreements, angering local communities affected by groundwater impacts and they have also faced a number of corruption investigations.
It is no consolation that former senior Suez Executive Gerard Payen’s has publicly commented that ’other businesses are worse than Suez’.
We call upon you now to show the world the strength of character that the new South African government demonstrated when your leaders crafted your constitution.
Now is the time to outlaw and remove from all communities pre paid meters where they have been installed.
Now is the time for government to reverse its policy of privatizing water and all other basic needs by canceling all ’service’ contracts and management agreements with private water/waste corporations.
Now is the time for governments to publicly affirm the human and constitutional right of all South Africans to water by ensuring full public ownership, operation and management of public utilities in order to provide free basic services for all.
Now is the time for government to make a firm political and fiscal commitment to rollout universally accessible infrastructure for the delivery of water that will uphold human rights and human dignity.
Now is the moment to do the right thing.
List of organizations
Public Citizen Wenonah Hauter, Director Critical Mass United States
Polaris Institute Tony Clarke, Executive Director Canada
ACME France
Africa-Europe Network of the Netherlands Cor van den Brand, President The Netherlands
Africa Faith & Justice Network Larry J. Goodwin, Associate Director for Organizing United States
Aid Transparency Senegal
Alliance for Democracy United States
ATTAC Denmark
Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace Mary Durran, Researcher Canaca
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Brenda Wall Canada
Citizens’ Network on Essential Services Tim Kessler, Research Director United States
Common Assets Defense Fund United States
Council of Canadians Canada
Dallas Water utilities Chris Kaakaty, Assistant Director United States
Development VISIONS Khalid Hussain, Chairman Pakistan
DMAE (The Municipal Department of Water and Sanitary Sewerage) Ing. Carlos Atilio Todeschini, General Director Brazil
Earth Action Network Mha Atma S. Khalsa, director United States
Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy United States
Foundation for Global Community Tom Ferguson Georgia, United States
Friends of the Earth - Canada David B. Brooks, Director of Research Canada
Friends of the Earth - US Leslie Fields, Director, Global Sustainability Initiative United States
Fundacion Centro de Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente - (CEDHA)
Juan Miguel Picolotti, Asesor Legal, Programa Acceso a la Justicia. Argentina
GRACE - Global Resource Action Center for the Environment Alice Slater United States
Global Trade Watch Michael Cebon Australia
Halifax Initiative Pam Foster Canada
Harris Co. Texas Green Party United States
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Minnesota, USA
Ibon Foundation Inc The Philippines
Integrated Social Development Centre Rudolf N Amenga-Etego Ghana
KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance Cha Smith, Executive Director Hawai’i
Kairos John Dillon, researcher Canada
Les Amis de la Terre France
Marcus Garvey Foundation Charles Chipungahelo Tanzania
National Coalition Against Privatisation of Water Al-hassan Adam, National Secretariat Accra-Ghana
ORCADE Dr. Moses K. Kambou, President Burkina Faso
Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Mandy Rocks, Political Assistant Canada
REDES-Friends of the Earth - Uruguay Alberto Villarreal Uruguay
Resident Peaceniks Amy Biskovich; Founding Director Washington, United States
Sweetwater Alliance Michigan, USA
The Leadership Council Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Michigan United States
The Sparrow Sings United States
Water Movement Trude Malthe Thomassen, General Manager Norway
Washington Office on Africa Leon P. Spencer, Executive Director United States
Water Stewards Network Michael Blazewicz, Resources Coordinator Vermont United States
Worldview, Ltd. John Friede, Executive Director New Hampshire United States
WTO Watch Qld Australia
List of individuals
Birgit Koldsø El Salvador
John Paul Coakley California, United States
Seth Shulman
Ignatius J. Wozniak New York, United States
Diana Roe
Mary Lebert
Tom Smith Texas, United States
Judi Poulson Minnesota, USA
Neal Elinoff Untied States
Clyde W. Everton Idaho, United States
Vivian Dean Vancouver Island, Canada
Christopher J. Roe
Stacy Ozesmi Indiana, United States
Ben Demar United States
Joan McBride United States
George H. Ferdinand Michigan, United States
C. Bradley Arizona, United States
Dianne Kocer
Stephen Kislock
Julie Pihl
Catherine Marciniak
Eileen Chieco, Ph.D. New York, United States
Kathleen R. Ferris Tennessee, United States
Lorraine Kitman California, United States
Robert E.Edmands, M.D. Indiana, United States
June Jaye Logie
Isabella K. Lacki North Carolina, United States
David R. Forest
Bob Baxter
Elaine Booth California, United States
Patricia Dugan Florida, United States
Carlos Milan Florida, United States
Scott Edmonson California, United States
Greg and Barbara Rupert Minnesota, United States
Barbara van Davis Illinois, United States
Ruth Main Canada
Lisa Cohen
Jen Flasko
Sam Duncombe The Bahamas
Tony Duncombe The Bahamas
Adam Duncombe The Bahamas
Khalila Duncombe The Bahamas
John Laituri
Dana L. Cohen
Barbara E. Ewing Nevada, United States
Adam C. Geisler Beijing, China
Jeffrey Schultz Gualala, California
Ellen Edmondson Florida, United States
Carlos Ruiz Escudero Madrid, Spain
Francisco Altemir Ruiz-Ocaña Madrid, Spain
Laeh Maggie Garfield
George Brooks
Peter C. Meissner California United States
William Potvin
Carol J. Griesemer Missouri United States
Rob Bleijerveld The Netherlands
Harvey Dobson
Mike Keefe-Feldman Missoula Independent
Colleen Llywelyn Oregon, United States
Nelson Cone
George H. Brooks United States
Helene Stone United States
Ann Hubbird Oregon, United States
Melissa Kaminsky New York, United States
Michael Belanger Larry Cameron Canada Canada
Maggi Dotchuk Regina, Canada
en Solidarity ?
Site created with SPIP 2.0.9 + AHUNTSIC