AFTER the eThekwini Municipality reported that it has taken steps to insource its water tanker services, the opposition party, DA, slammed the move, citing the City’s failure to restore water infrastructure.

City spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila said, “To date, approximately R345m has been invested in procuring water tankers and bringing the service in-house. The municipality currently has an operational fleet of 318 water tankers. An additional 43 tankers will be procured before the end of this year.”

“Water tankers are serving as an interim measure for communities experiencing water shortages while the City continues to upgrade infrastructure and augment water supply across eThekwini. After realising that the municipality was spending significant amounts of money outsourcing this service, we decided to procure our own fleet and employ additional drivers to ensure that the service operates efficiently,” said Mayor Cyril Xaba.

Also read: Protesters march on Durban City Hall demanding water

Councillor Yogis Govender, Chief Whip for the DA in the eThekwini Municipality, said the tanker fleet keeps growing because the water crisis persists.

“After hundreds of millions have been spent on tankers, why are more tankers still needed? If water infrastructure recovery were succeeding, demand for tankers should be declining, not increasing. Residents do not want more tankers or more drivers; they want water from their taps. We refuse to accept a city where water tankers become the norm,” Govender said.

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