22/04/2026
Written Submission by the Primrose Ratepayers Association – Water Crisis in Ekurhuleni (Germiston) to the SAHRC
The Primrose Ratepayers Association (PRA) hereby submits this written submission in response to the Commission’s call for submissions for the investigative inquiry into the water crisis in Gauteng Province.
The PRA is a community based civic organization representing residents of Primrose and surrounding areas in Germiston, within the City of Ekurhuleni. We engage regularly with residents, municipal structures and other stakeholders on issues affecting service delivery, safety and community well being. Over an extended period, water supply failures have emerged as one of the most serious and persistent challenges faced by our community.
Residents in Primrose and neighboring areas have experienced frequent, prolonged and poorly communicated water outages, often lasting several days at a time. These outages occur with limited warning, inconsistent restoration timelines and insufficient contingency measures. The repeated disruptions severely impact households’ ability to meet basic daily needs, including hygiene, food preparation and sanitation.
The effects of these outages are disproportionately borne by vulnerable and marginalized groups, including the elderly, children, persons with disabilities, and low income households. Schools, healthcare facilities, small businesses and care institutions in the area are also adversely affected, resulting in broader social and economic consequences.
As outages persist, residents are increasingly forced to rely on private and informal water tankers, which are often unregulated, unreliable and costly. This has entrenched inequality, as access to water becomes dependent on the ability to pay, rather than need. In our engagement with residents, this dependency has generated growing frustration, anxiety and a sense of abandonment by state institutions responsible for ensuring access to basic services.
Despite repeated reports, complaints and engagements with municipal authorities, responses have largely remained reactive, fragmented and inadequate. There is limited transparency regarding infrastructure failures, maintenance backlogs, contingency planning or long term solutions. Communication to affected communities is often delayed or absent, undermining trust and effective community coordination during outages.
In the view of the Primrose Ratepayers Association, the ongoing water situation in Germiston cannot be regarded as an isolated or short-term service delivery challenge. The sustained and recurring nature of the crisis raises serious concerns regarding systemic failures in governance, planning, infrastructure management and accountability, and the progressive realization of the constitutional right of access to sufficient water.
We therefore welcome and support the Commission’s decision to conduct a formal investigative inquiry into the Gauteng water crisis. We respectfully submit that the experiences of communities such as Primrose should inform the inquiry’s findings, conclusions and recommendations, particularly in relation to vulnerable communities, municipal accountability and sustainable access to water.
The PRA remains willing to provide further information, participate in consultations or make oral submissions should the Commission deem it necessary.
During 2026, residents in Germiston have experienced multiple water supply disruptions, including at least three publicly documented major and prolonged outages, some lasting up to two weeks. These incidents, widely reported by national and local media, reflect a pattern of recurring service instability rather than isolated events
