Sedibeng Water Restrictions

In 2021, Sedibeng Water in the North West gave notice to all employees to cease water supply to a local municipality due to outstanding debt. In a similar vein to the Musina and Resilient cases, Sakeliga launched an urgent court application to prevent the cessation of water supply. Sedibeng Water withdrew their instruction. This victory played a significant role in reinforcing the principle that end-users should not be saddled with the consequences of inadequate intergovernmental dispute resolution. • The case affirms, in the context of water, the principle in Resilient that paying end-users should not be disadvantaged because a municipality fails to meet its obligations over financial management and intergovernmental dispute resolution. • The water supply for thousands of paying end-users was maintained through litigation.