The classic children’s folk song There’s a hole in the bucket, Dear Liza – which features a drawn-out conversation between Henry and Liza about a leaky bucket – reminds of the current Gauteng water predicament.
There’s a massive hole in the water supply to the province… despite the huge investment in infrastructure like the Lesotho Highlands Water Project to top up our dams, the collapse of infrastructure means much of this water just ends up in our rivers.
So bad is the leakage of Joburg municipal water that, at times of water shutdowns, like now, some of the rivers in the province stop flowing.
That is an appalling indication of the water which goes to waste because of leaks and burst pipes.
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That is all due to the fact that successive ANC-appointed water administrators – at provincial and municipal level – have neglected maintenance while enjoying their fat salaries and perks.
The chickens have now come home to roost as Rand Water decrees an 86-hour shutdown in water supply for large parts of Johannesburg.
And, to make matters worse, there are not enough water tankers to supply the dry suburbs.
There’s a hole in your bucket, dear ANC, and we doubt if you’ll ever fix it.
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