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\u201cWe have been reduced to animals now. Our lives do not matter, that is why no one cares about our suffering over water,\u201d says Mrs Nkhosi from Somkhele. \u201cThe water taps are mere decorations now, nothing ever comes out.\u201d On August 12, women representing the communities of Somkhele and Fuleni gathered at a Women\u2019s Water Assembly in Embonambi Kwa Zulu Natal. The Water Assembly was a critical moment for women to reflect on a participatory action research process on women\u2019s experiences of water scarcity in both communities. Women activists also shared findings from the research with key stakeholders, including representatives from the local municipality and WoMin allies \u2013\u00a0Centre for Environmental Rights (CER)<\/a>,\u00a0Earthlore<\/a>, and the\u00a0Global Environmental Trust (GET)<\/a>, and developed a set of clear demands to inform their strategies going forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to ask the Municipality, councillors and officials how they feel that they bath every day and have safe water and my family and I do not.\u201d \u2013 Medical, from Somkhele<\/em><\/p>\n The absence of water…<\/strong><\/p>\n Water is a critical issue in drought-stricken communities impacted by heavy coal mining and other extractives industries\u2014it\u2019s an even bigger issue for women. \u201cWater is big issue for women because water is for them life itself as it touches on the everyday facets in their lives. Women are socially responsible for ensuring that the family has water,\u201d says activist, Nyonde Ntswana. \u201cWithout water women cannot have livelihoods, no farming, no livestock, without water they cannot work as they have to walk long distances for look for water and have to time to engage in productive work. Without water they cannot prepare food and keep themselves and the household clean. The absence of water is the absence of a productive life for a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n The communities of Somkhele and Fuleni are especially vulnerable to the challenges of water scarcity due to drought and coal mining activities in the area. Somkhele is situated where the Somkhele (Tendele) Coal Mine, a subsidiary of the Petmin group, has been operating for over 10 years. Nearby Fuleni is the proposed site for a highly contested coal mining project under Ibutho Coal. Some of the core issues surfaced in the research include:<\/p>\n At the assembly, the\u00a0Centre for Environmental Rights (CER)<\/a>\u00a0conducted an information session to give women a framework for understanding what rights citizens within these communities have when it comes to water access.<\/p>\n Building a collective voice for concrete change<\/strong><\/p>\n The assembly, supported by WoMin, was a powerful moment for women from the Somkhele and Fuleni communities to share their experiences and build solidarity so they can mobilise and co-strategise going forward. Given the political moment in South Africa, women are poised to raise their voices and use their collective power to push the government, local leadership and corporate interests to listen. \u201cHow do the politicians expect us to vote for them yet they have neglected us in this manner,\u201d declares Sthoko from Fuleni. \u201cCome election time we will show them our anger over\u00a0this water issue.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (This first appeared, in slightly different form, here<\/a>. Thanks to Maggie Mapondera and to WoMin<\/a> for this collaboration.)<\/p>\n\n