The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) says it has become aware of a trend where people sell water from private boreholes.
“Any such sale would need a requisite licence to be applied for. It is therefore imperative to bring to the attention of all South Africans that private boreholes are meant to operate for the benefit of the occupants of the piece of land/property on which the borehole has been drilled.
“The recent practice of secondary trade of water, particularly as observed currently in the Western Cape, is therefore illegal. Private boreholes are for private use, forreasonable domestic use, and therefore not to be commercialized,” said the department.
Section 22 of the Water Services Act prohibits the transaction on water without authorisation.
“In the main, the National Water Act remains the principal piece of legislation guiding any use of water in the country,” the department said.
