Note to Editors: Please find an English soundbite by Ald Cilliers Brink here
The Democratic Alliance (DA) now has confirmation that something is seriously wrong with the Hammanskraal clean water project, and that the mayor of Tshwane does not know what’s going on.
The first phase of the Hammanskraal water project was launched earlier this year, with the mayor assuring residents that the water was safe for consumption.
On Tuesday, the 11th of February, my DA colleague Cllr Themba Fosi visited Hammanskraal where several residents in the first phase told him that they have not had any water for the past two weeks.
Yesterday, the DA called on the mayor to provide an explanation of what was going on with the Hammanskraal clean water project. And today, she tells residents that, contrary to what was previously announced, the available water should not be consumed.
Incompetence of this nature not only destroys public trust; it also places public health at risk.
If the DA and other groups had not raised our concerns, we suspect that the mayor would still have been silent on the issue.
I will write to the Minister of Water and Sanitation to express the DA’s serious concern about the mismanagement by Tshwane of the Hammanskraal clean water project.
In the meantime, we call on the City to prepare targeted communication to residents making it clear that the water should not be consumed.