With the water crisis entering its second week, the DA in the metro showed the ANC, on Thursday, how they feel the ruling party has buried its head in the sand over the crisis.
The party challenged Rand Water, Eskom and the metro to immediately reinstate basic services to all residents.
To demonstrate the seriousness of the water crisis, DA councillors from the worst affected areas of the metro underwent a sand bucket challenge, instead of the typical ice bucket.
This challenge showed the DA’s solidarity with residents and businesses that have been without water for up to 16 days.
Councillors Stefanie Kruger and Jackie Reilly, subjected themselves to sand being poured over their heads by fellow councillors Tania Campbell, Jill Humphreys and Ashley Rutherford, outside the monthly council meeting, during which the DA demanded explanations from the ANC on the water cut-offs.
“It is an utter disgrace that the government has failed so dismally in managing this crisis and communicating adequately with residents,” said Fortune Mahano, DA caucus leader in the metro.
“A well-run metro would have ensured that all residents without water knew exactly what was going on and when they could expect the reinstatement of their water.
“The ANC seems oblivious to the serious health risks that come about when toilets cannot be flushed and basic hygiene cannot happen.
“The effect on the very young and the elderly as well as the sick poses even more problems.
“This crisis, which the ANC refuses to acknowledge, even affected businesses, many have reported significant loss of income and productivity.”
At the time of writing, Tsakane, Primrose and parts of Bedfordview were still without water, with Rand Water blaming the source of the problem on power outages affecting the ability of pumps to fill reservoirs.
