THE ANC has failed to prevent the water crisis in Mzansi!
This is according to ActionSA chairman Michael Beaumont.
He told a media briefing outside Rand Water offices in the south of Joburg on Thursday, 18 April, that the crisis was avoidable.
“Unfortunately, the ANC government has failed to act to protect our country from this crisis that was entirely avoidable if it had not been preoccupied with looting our country,” said Beaumont.
He said in an attempt to solve the water crisis, the ActionSA government will address the capacity crisis within the Department of Water and Sanitation by filling critical vacancies of engineers and project managers to oversee.
Beaumont said the party will also repair and expand water infrastructure and effectively manage and maintain it.
“We will identify leakages in the water system because the excessive amount of drinkable water lost due to leaks in failing infrastructure must be addressed.
“We will launch a nationwide leak identification programme, requiring all municipalities and bulk water suppliers to conduct projects aimed at identifying water leaks. We will consequently allocate sufficient financial and technical resources to rapidly address water leakages in bulk infrastructure," he said.
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Beaumont said his party will also increase water supply, invest in technology and reduce water demand.
“Water is a scarce natural resource in South Africa, and wasteful water usage must be reduced. ActionSA will entrench a culture of efficient water use through wide-reaching education and awareness campaigns. We will invest in grey-water distribution systems to ensure that drinkable water is predominantly used for human consumption,” said Beaumont.
He pointed out that South Africans live in a constitutional democracy that guarantees both water and electricity, yet many citizens have been reduced to beggars for their rights to clean water.
“For those who have not yet been affected, consider having to buy water to stay hydrated. Imagine not being able to flush toilets or clean your homes and businesses. Think about the healthcare of loved ones who fall ill because of compromised hygiene. See the costs of everything go up as agricultural output declines and business pass on higher costs to consumers,” he said.
The party’s Gauteng chairman and premier candidate, Funzi Ngobeni, said Gauteng faces a massive threat of total collapse of water supply.
“The province is a leading contributor to the country’s gross domestic product, with its metros being the economic basket of the country. It is for this reason that the water crisis facing this province must be resolved with urgency to evade the economic consequences that are imminent and detrimental not only to the province, but for the entire country’s economy,” he said.
Ngobeni said the problem was the decaying of water infrastructure over the years, rising water demand and lack of maintenance, load shedding and the ruling party’s lack of foresight.
“Just like in the case with Eskom, had (the ANC government) appreciated the importance of ongoing maintenance and expansion of water supply infrastructure, the province would not be having the massive threat hanging over its head,” said Ngobeni.
