DA exposes eThekwini Municipality as habitual water regulation offenders
28 February 2023
Note to Editors: The statement that was sent earlier contained a spelling error, this is a corrected version. We apologise for the inconvenience.
The DA has exposed the eThekwini municipality as a habitual and delinquent offender when it comes to compliance with the National Water Act.
The Minister of Water & Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, confirmed as much in a reply to a written question by DA MP Tim Brauteseth today.
Brauteseth had queried whether any directives had been issued to the municipality by the Department since January 2022.
The response was unequivocal. The municipality has been issued with two directives, one in January 2022 and another in May 2022 relating to their failure to comply with Sections 19 (3) and 20 (4) of the National Water Act.
These sections relate to ensuring that emergency measures are in place to prevent sewage spillage and that remedial action be taken to prevent pollution from waste water plants.
Furthermore, the municipality has failed to prevent pollution affecting the natural environment and water resources.
To make matters worse, the Minster admitted that despite their best efforts, through copious correspondence and war room interactions, thce municipality refused or simply neglected complying with the directives.
This woeful state of affairs rings true as the Deputy Minister, Mahlobo, has previously admitted to Brauteseth that the eThekwini officials 'smile and nod in agreement and then do exactly the opposite'.
It is no wonder then that the Department is approaching the courts to seek a court order to compel compliance.
The neglectful and delinquent actions of the ANC run municipality are indeed criminal and affect the very health and well being of eThekwini residents not to mention the devastating effect this uncaring and complacent ANC government has caused to the ailing tourism sector.
The DA will closely monitor these developments and fight to ensure that any court order issued and not complied with will be met with criminal charges and sanction.
Issued by Tim Brauteseth, Durban South Constituency Head, 28 February 2023
