ERMELO – The Msukaligwa Local Municipality said it has noted with dismay the insinuation regarding the use of water tankers.

According to Mandla Zwane, the municipality’s spokesperson, the leader of one of the opposition parties claimed that the municipality was using the water tankers as septic tanks for waste disposal at night.

“The municipality rejects these allegations as baseless. Furthermore, the municipality views such as a ploy to detract it from its commitment of providing water to the affected communities in line with the service delivery mandate,” Zwane said in a media statement.

He said the municipality wants to place it on records that these allegations are misleading and devoid of the truth.

“As a responsible public institution, the municipality is determined to provide clean and safe water to the residents of Msukaligwa. In addition, the municipality will continue to perform quality assurance of the water before distribution, working together with the Gert Sibande District Municipal Laboratory.”

Through this service, water is tested randomly on a regular basis, and this includes the monitoring of the tankers to ensure compliance with the standards set out by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

The municipality urged all stakeholders, including leaders of opposition parties, to rather report any case of non-compliance to the standards to the law enforcement agencies than to manufacture fake news at the expense of local residents.