Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbite in English and by Imaan Sulliman
The DA in the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality will write to the DA Spokesperson on Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements, and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), CJ Steyl, to seek his assistance in requesting the MEC of COGHSTA, Oageng Molapisi, to immediately intervene in the water crisis in Zeerust and surrounding areas.
On Thursday, 20 February 2025, the substation at the Zeerust Water Treatment Works had a power failure at the Rietpoort pump station, affecting the supply of water to the residents in Zeerust, Zeerust CBD, Sandvalkte, Henryville, and Ikageleng over the past eight days.
Although a generator is in place to ensure water supply during loadshedding and other eventualities such as this, the generator is not big enough to handle the seven pumps, leaving residents to face water rationing. Eskom only attended to the power failure the next day, but by then a massive backlog was already created.
Although Ramotshere Moiloa Municipality is responsible for the water supply to Zeerust and the surrounding areas, Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality is responsible for the bulk water supply and the maintenance of Zeerust Water Treatment Works.
The Executive Mayor of Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Khumalo Molefe, assured the community that water tankers would be dispatched, but this never materialised, nor did he appear for a scheduled meeting with the community.
Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient water supply. Our constitutional right to sufficient water has been and is being violated by Mr. Molefe, who has no political will to carry out his mandate as Executive Mayor. Zeerust is not the only community suffering under the unwilling and incapable mayor.
The DA will not rest until Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality tends to all the water treatment plants in the district and ensures that all members of the community have sufficient, uninterrupted access to water.