Tebogo Msimanga |
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says in Monday’s Presidential Newsletter, President Cyril Ramaphosa has sought to downplay the state of South Africa’s water supply and infrastructure by stating that “water quality in South Africa is of a high standard”.
Leader of the Democratic Alliance John Steenhuisen said aside from a dangerous denial of South Africa’s water crisis and the ANC’s role in it, this is also a gross misrepresentation of the facts which neither diagnoses the problem nor seeks to address it.
“It is this same denial of our electricity crisis that has South Africa on the brink of a national grid collapse. The President cannot afford to bury his head in the sand on the state of South Africa’s water”.
Steenhuisen added that this is precisely why the Democratic Alliance is embarking on a national oversight campaign to address South Africa’s water crisis. “We must urgently identify and address challenges to water infrastructure, supply, and quality if we are to avert outbreaks of disease and uphold our nation’s right to access to clean drinking water”.
He reiterated that it is high time that President Ramaphosa acknowledges that the corruption under his party and his government has stolen the money meant for water provision across the country.
“The outbreak of water-borne disease we are currently experiencing is merely a symptom of a greater problem, and that is endemic corruption under the ANC. President Ramaphosa cannot deny this, and he cannot shirk the blame any further if we are to address South Africa’s water crisis”.
