27 years on and Emzinoni residents are still fed empty promises for water
The executive mayor of Govan Mbeki Municipality started an outreach program to residents of Govan Mbeki Municipality.
These outreach programs are seen as election ploys by most opposition parties. Repairs and Maintenance that should have been done throughout the year are being tackled at a high rate that surprised even some residents.
The Mayor recently worked in Emzinoni and even gravelled some roads. The response on the GMM Facebook page was very negative.
It is also very noticeable that some of the people accompanying the Mayor in his outreaches wear political party regalia.
The Democratic Alliance responded with a press statement.
“The DA in Govan Mbeki Local Municipality notes the further empty promises being made by the Executive Mayor, Nhlakanipho Zuma, by using outreach programmes as a campaign strategy,” said DA Councillor James Masango
Zuma recently campaigned in Emzinoni informal settlement and promised water and extra taps to the people. Some officials were seen in ANC regalia and the mayor was wearing red SACP regalia while this was an outreach program funded by the municipality and ultimately the taxpayer.
Many residents in Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) complain of water outages daily where there are taps.
Early this year, the DA wrote to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to intervene since several areas in GMM experienced a lack of water for weeks.
This was during hard lockdown while people were in quarantine without water and others were being exposed to vulnerability due to a lack of water to wash their hands regularly in the midst of the pandemic. Their response to the SAHRC was that they are busy dealing with the problem. However, water problems remain in GMM.
Failure to replace old water pipes is causing pipe bursts all over GMM. What makes it worse is that our municipality is in business terms bankrupt and should have been liquidated long ago if it was not an institution of government. The GMM owes Rand Water close to R340 million.
“It can’t pay Rand Water its outstanding account and sometimes fails to pay the amount agreed upon in the 40 days that Rand Water has graced the municipality to pay in,” said James, “In addition, it is farfetched to think that the ANC-led municipality will ever pay this account when it fails to attend to the fact that the municipality loses 30% of the water that it purchases consistently.”
The DA discovered that the 50 boreholes that are said to be installed in farming communities are dysfunctional.
Water tankers are also not delivering water as required despite farm dwellers reporting to the municipality on a regular basis and residents will go for weeks before the municipality finally sends out a water tanker.
Water is a basic constitutional requirement and water is life. Therefore, getting water is not a favour from the government but a right.
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“As we have in the municipalities where we govern, the DA will ensure that residents have access to clean and reliable water,” James continued, “On the 1st November 2021, the residents of GMM will have the opportunity to allow the DA to bring much-needed change to the municipality.”
“Vote for the same ANC with empty promises and corruption or vote for the DA and get things done,” said James
