VANDERBIJLPARK – Democratic Alliance (DA) descended on Emfuleni Local Municipality on Wednesday, September 20, to demand swift action to address the ongoing water crisis that has plagued many communities in the region.
Led by Gauteng Premier candidate Solly Msimanga, a passionate crowd of party supporters took to the streets with placards in hand, marching through Vanderbijlpark’s Frikkie Meyer Boulevard.
Their message was clear: “No water, no dignity” and “We are thirsty, do we not matter.”
The spirited protesters, singing and chanting slogans, caught the attention of locals and passersby as they made their way to the municipality’s headquarters to deliver a memorandum of grievances.
In an interview with Sedibeng Ster on the sidelines of the march, Msimanga articulated the urgent need for action.
“We are here to demand a stop to this shortage and lack of clean water for the people of Emfuleni. The municipality needs to resolve this issue of infrastructure around water.”
The water crisis in Emfuleni has been an ongoing challenge, with residents enduring frequent water shortages and poor water quality for an extended period.
“Emfuleni is the worst municipality when it comes to losing water. The municipality is losing 60% of its water, hence the residents don’t get water. There are residents who claim they have been without water for more than a month, and that’s a violation of human rights and this needs to be addressed,” he said.
Msimanga said the municipality has seven days to respond in writing to their grievances.
“We want them to give us a plan on how they intend to address this issue. Failure to do that, we will approach the Human Rights Commission. If it means us to approach the court, we will do that either,” he said.
MMC of Environment Jonas Radebe received the memorandum on behalf of the Executive Mayor.
“We will do everything in our utmost power to respond to the requests of the DA,” he said.
