The IFP has today written to Water and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, to urgently intervene and ensure the swift delivery of water to the following local municipalities and wards within the King Cetshwayo District Municipality (KCDM) in KwaZulu-Natal.
LOCAL MUNICIPALITY WARDS
- Mthonjaneni: Wards 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
- Nkandla: Wards 6,12
- Umfolozi: Wards 7,8,9,10,11,12, 13,15
- Umlalazi: 10,17,21, 22, 23, 24, 25
- Umhlatuze: 31 32, 33
Residents in KCDM have been without water for the past two weeks. The wait for water is now entering week three, as residents continue to suffer without access to clean drinking water.
Socio-economic, health and infrastructure conditions within the municipalities which make up the District are extreme as is, and adding water woes simply compounds these problems.
It is unacceptable and shameful that the delivery of water to these areas has not been prioritised, nor have any promises been fulfilled in ensuring that during the Covid-19 pandemic local municipalities will benefit from relief efforts.
We have requested that the Minister investigate the reasons why no permanent water infrastructure nor any temporary water tankers were earmarked for the above-mentioned local municipalities.
We cannot fight a global pandemic and save the lives of our people if we do not put their most basic needs for water, shelter and health first.
The struggle for water is not new in KCDM. Residents are fast becoming uneasy with the situation and the possibility of protests must be avoided at all costs, particularly as this may go against health efforts to maintain social distancing.
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Contact:
Xolani Ngwezi MP
IFP Spokesperson on Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
076 975 5555
