Today, ActionSA Tshwane Mayoral Candidate, Abel Tau, once again visited the community of Hammanskraal following renewed reports of the worsening water crisis in the area.
Despite the City of Tshwane’s “Ghost Mayor”, Cllr Randall Williams’ attempts to spin-doctor his way out of the DA-led water crisis in the area, it is evident that residents continue to be denied access to uninterrupted potable water. Evidence of the worsening situation within the community can be seen here.
The water in Hammanskraal is patently unsafe for human consumption and contains traces of faeces. This comes after Cllr Williams waxed lyrical about the fictitious “interventions” the City had put in place.
As the people of Hammanskraal continue to suffer, the “Ghost Mayor” is nowhere to be found; ensuring access to quality service delivery to this community, and others like it, is not high on his agenda. In April this year, ActionSA commissioned an independent community-led inquiry into the Hammanskraal water crisis. In its report, the Commission of Inquiry found that the City of Tshwane was insensitive and irresponsive to the plight of the community. Further, Cllr Williams and his administration were marked by delinquent inertia on this 16-year-old water crisis. Indeed, Williams refused to even meet with the community on the issue.
While we are sure that Williams will try to spin-doctor his way out of the worsening situation, we suggest that a more productive use of his time would be in immediately implementing a plan to provide safe and drinkable water to residents. This must be done through the urgent provision of additional water tankers to the area, providing free access to water. The city must also clearly communicate a crisis management plan that allows residents to get access reliably, safely, and urgently to water.
Ghost Mayor”, Williams cannot continue to respond to the plight of Hammanskraal in a casual manner; the health and wellbeing of residents are at stake.
Upon the release of the Commission of Inquiry report, ActionSA provided Cllr Williams 90 days to meaningfully responds to its findings.
Should he fail to provide a clear solution for the crisis in the stated timeframe, we will not hesitate to pursue available legal avenues to force the City to execute its mandate to promote and protect residents’ Constitutional rights to clean, safe drinking water.
ActionSA stands ready to deliver quality basic services to all residents of Tshwane.
