Serafina and the Fight for Water Rights in South Africa

When Johannesburg Water began installing prepaid water meters in 2003, Serafina decided to fight back. A 71-year-old "makoko," or granny, from Phiri, South Africa (pronounced "piree"), Serafina lived much of her life under the laws of apartheid and refused to endure the further indignity of suffering with little to no water at a high price.

 

When the only options open to Serafina were the installation of a prepaid water meter or no water at all, she refused the prepaid meter and relied on the goodness of her neighbors to get by. Her house had plumbing at that point, but it was cut off by Johannesburg Water when she refused the meter. As a pensioner, the money Serafina received from the government would not cover her water needs beyond what was minimally allocated under the prepaid system, so for a long time, she relied on her neighbors. In her late 60s, Serafina would walk to her neighbors' houses, bringing back buckets of water at a time to cover her basic needs. When this got to be too much for her, she called a plumber and convinced him to reconnect the pipes to her house, skirting the prepaid system.

Soon, though, police caught on to Serafina and showed up at her door. "There were 50 police in my house," Serafina explained. The police arrived in a caravan that included army and private-security personnel. They told Serafina that she had to disconnect her pipes or be arrested — Serafina refused and held out her arms. She knew that under the South African constitution, she had a right to water, and she also knew that the ration of free water from the prepaid system would not provide her with all the water she needed. The police backed down, not wanting to make Serafina, an independent, feisty woman, a martyr for the cause. They left Serafina, and her pipes, alone.

Serafina is a member of the Coalition Against Water Privatization (CAWP), a UUSC partner in South Africa working to give people access to water, a right guaranteed in the South African constitution. CAWP educ ates community members about their rights and leads a social movement in Soweto around access to water. In early December 2007, CAWP filed a major case in the South African courts against the prepaid meter system. While arguments were being heard inside the High Court of South Africa, outside the chambers, Serafina and other CAWP members rallied and sang songs of human struggle — Serafina blew her whistle and danced.

At 71, Serafina continues to fight for her and her neighbors' right to water, as well as their rights to equality and dignity. Throughout her life, Serafina has shown strength, first under the debilitating indignities of the apartheid era and now in the struggle for equal access to water. Not one to back down easily, she puts on her "warrior face" when standing up against those who would hold her down. With leaders like Serafina and partners like CAWP, UUSC stands at the forefront of the struggle to secure the human right to water.