Rand Water respond to calls for CEO to step down

As taps run dry across Gauteng, water utility Rand Water has slammed calls for its top leadership to step down.

A petition by the Democratic Alliance in the province claimed “it has become increasingly clear CEO Sipho Mosai is completely incapable of the task ahead of him”.

“Under his leadership, the entity’s infrastructure has collapsed and he has not ensured that residents’ water supply is adequately managed. Water is a human right and he has failed on this mandate.”

It demanded he resign or be fired.

The petition has garnered over 6 000 signatures so far.

ALSO READ: Signs of recovery: Reservoirs gradually filling up – Rand Water

Rand Water said it was “baffled” by the petition and said it was misplaced. It claimed to be currently producing water higher than its extraction limit because of demand, and was transparent about systems and maintenance. It accused DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga of politicking.

“Rand Water is able and has the capacity to supply water to its municipal customers. However, it should be noted that during this time of the year, water demand outstrips supply capacity.

“It is evident the challenge is not lack of capacity to supply water, but rather high consumption because of this hot period.”

It added water leaks were another major concern.

The utility said municipalities are trying to curb water demand and waste, but “water conservation and demand management measures are not sufficiently implemented”.

ALSO READ: Vulnerable residents desperate over nonstop water outages

A storm that wrecked havoc across Gauteng last week damaged affected water supply to several areas, with Rand Water indicating on Saturday that its reservoirs were filling up.

“We managed to fill up reservoirs, it’s a matter of distributing water to municipal reservoirs which will in turn send water to customers,” Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo told Newzroom Afrika.

It has been little consolation for many who have spent the long weekend so far with no water.