Premier laughs off Water Commission of Inquiry?
JOBURG - Gauteng Premier David Makhura was accused of not taking the water crisis in Gauteng seriously.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura was accused of laughing off the DA’s request for a commission of inquiry into the recent water crisis in the province.
“During my member statement in the Gauteng Legislature, Makhura laughed out loud when the request for a commission of inquiry was made,” informed Democratic Alliance’s Gauteng Shadow MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Fred Nel.
Nel stated that the water crisis has the potential of having a greater economic impact on Gauteng than E-tolls – which is currently subject to a review panel initiated by the premier.
“It is not only the direct economic impact resulting from the water crisis that must be taken into consideration but also future consequences,”informed Nel.
The recent water crisis that hit Gauteng left residents unimpressed with the officials.
Ward 102 councilor David Potter informed that , “Not having water is an inconvenience…this is the same with Eskom, we pay a lot of money but we constantly have power cuts and all they do is increase tariffs.”
Ward 117 councilor Tim Truluck was also unimpressed with the water crisis and said residents should have been notified beforehand. “We should have been the first people to know about the crisis, because it affected everyone, especially the poor who couldn’t afford to buy water,” explained Truluck
According to the spokesperson of the premier, Nino Zama, it is untrue that the premier laughed off the DA’s request.
“The premier dismisses the public statement by DA MPL Fred Nel calling for a water commission of inquiry as political opportunism in its most profound form. Water supply interruptions that occurred over the past two weeks cannot be used as a political football.
“Political grandstanding of the type displayed by member Fred Nel is no solution to the challenges facing our province,” said Zama.
Zama also stated that the process to develop a plan for sustainable water supply is already underway. The people of Gauteng will be consulted as part of the public participation process.
