“Access to clean drinking tap water and access to land with water for production” is a long-standing campaign for the Inyanda National Land movement. Since 2021, the Inyanda National Land Movement devoted its energies and resources in the fight for water justices. The Inyanda National Land Movement has been cooperating closely with the Movement Building Stream of the Trust for Community Outreach and Education to raise awareness on the national water crisis through organizing speak-out sessions in various communities in the Western Cape province, Eastern Cape province, Free State province, Limpopo province and the Northern Cape province; by organizing and participated in dialogue sessions, organized protest marches and pledge solidarity with rural communities and their organizations in the fight for water justices, build capacity in understanding the importance of the Integrated Development Plan and its importance to include access to water and land with water in the IDP and the water services plans that are based at the district municipalities as authorised water both the National Water Act (as amended) and the Water Services Act (as amended).

As part of the commitment to intensify the struggles water justices, the Inyanda National Land Movement and the Movement Building Stream devoted time and resources to engage last year from September 2025 to November 2025 in case studies in three provinces, namely, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and the Northern Cape provinces. The purpose of the case studies was to:

• Gather empirical evidence of the challenges experienced by rural and peri-urban communities and local movements engaged in food production activities
• Track progress with regards to the campaign for water justices and land with water

On the 30th October 2025, the Inyanda National Land Movement and the Movement Building Stream of the Trust for Community Outreach and Education organized in the Eastern Cape province a dialogue to discuss the water crisis in the province. The invited amongst others, were the Department of Water and Sanitation (EC provincial office), the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (EC province), non-governmental organizations, civic associations, local movements and rural communities. As an embarrassment to the communities, both the DWS and COGTA have not attended the dialogue without any apologies.

Key learnings in the period under review

• The affiliates of the Inyanda National Land Movement are dedicated in the struggle for water justices and access to land with water
• Localised struggles for access to clean drinking tap water are pursued by local movements
• The Nombanjane village in Centane led by the Coastal Links have resorted again for the second time to litigate against the Amathole District Municipality
• Commercial farmers in the Limpopo are cutting off water from the small-scale farmers to access water for production
• Therefore, their livestock need to walk for kilometres before reaching water to drink
• The livestock are dying due to limited access to water
• The outcome of the dialogue urged Inyanda National Land Movement and the Movement Building Stream to support assist communities and local movements to intensify the struggle for water justices.

TCOE continues to advocate for land and water access and rights into 2026.