Water struggle reaches the Supreme Court of Appeal
Tuesday 9 December 2008 by Nic
CAWP can now announce that the SCA has set a date for the appeal hearing in Bloemfontein: it will be on the 23-25 of February, 2009 when Phiri residents and all of Soweto will be listening to news from Bloemfontein.
On the 30th of April 2008 The Johannesburg High Court declared prepaid water meters both illegal and unconstitutional and ordered the city to provide each resident with 50 litres of free water per day. We celebrated the end of the prepaids together with other community organisations, here and internationally.
The City of Johannesburg lodged an appeal just two weeks after judge M.P. Tsoka’s ruling. The arrogant city mayor, Amos Masondo, publicly attacked Tsoka and vowed to continue the fight against ordinary residents who just trying to protect their access to basic water.
While waiting for the date of the appeal hearing from the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), CAWP has continued with its campaigns and activities. Hundreds of angry residents marched to the City of Johannesburg offices on the 11th of November 2008. They marched with uprooted meters and summonses that the City has been serving on residents who have removed the meters. These were dumped at the City’s door.
This comes at the right time for the Coalition, which is preparing for the counter World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey in March. Whatever ruling the SCA makes, it will not take away the significance of this chapter in what is an international fight for water as a human right, which must be defended by all means.
Our water is not for sale! The struggle for water continues!
Nic
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