After three years of constant community struggle, a year after a legal application was launched at the Johannesburg High Court and after the filing of thousands of pages of legal documents, the battle of Phiri (Soweto) residents against Johannesburg Water's limitation of free basic water supply to 6 kilolitres per household, and unilateral installation of pre-paid water meters will finally be heard from 3- 5 December 2007.

The Court will be asked to declare these measures unconstitutional and unlawful and to further order Johannesburg Water (Pty) Ltd. to provide a free basic water supply of 50 litres per person per day, and the option of a credit-metered supply installed at the cost of the City of Johannesburg, to the residents of Phiri, Soweto.

This case is of enormous significance for all of South Africa (and will be of great interest internationally) in that it has crucial constitutional implications about the right of access to sufficient water.

Related news: Right to water: legislation does not always guarantee access to water, says study, Source Weekly, 05 Oct 2007 ; South Africa: Soweto residents get new water deal, Source Weekly, 06 Dec 2004

Web site: CALS Centre for Applied Legal Studies: all legal documents filed in this case

Source: Press statement of the Coalition Against Water Privatisation, posted in the Right to Water mailinglist, 1 Nov 2007

Tags: financing, policies & legislation, water distribution