As thousands of Gauteng residents queue for water tankers and endure dry taps, Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s admission that he sometimes goes to a hotel to bathe has triggered public backlash.
The remark, made during a media briefing on February 11 on the province’s water challenges, was meant to illustrate that even public officials experience supply disruptions.
“We also run out of water like everyone else. Sometimes I have to go to a hotel so that I can bath,” Lesufi said.
But the comment quickly drew criticism from residents facing prolonged outages, with many describing it as tone-deaf and disconnected from the realities on the ground.
Lesufi has since issued a formal apology, stating that he did not intend to offend or trivialise the province’s deepening water challenges. In a statement, he acknowledged that his reference to a hotel may have been interpreted as suggesting that the impact of water shortages differs based on one’s position in society. “This was never my intention,” he said.
Lesufi reiterated that water shortages and supply interruptions are an inconvenience and hardship to all residents, regardless of social, economic, or professional standing.
“The water challenges we are experiencing inconvenience everyone equally. No one is immune to the frustration and disruption caused by water shortages, and I regret any impression that suggested otherwise,” he said.
Lesufi said he remains committed to working with all spheres of government, municipalities and relevant stakeholders to urgently address water infrastructure challenges and ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply. He also thanked residents for their patience and resilience, assuring them that resolving the water crisis remains a top priority.
Despite the apology, Gauteng residents were quick to voice their anger online, dismissing Lesufi’s attempt to relate to their struggles as out of touch and tone-deaf.
Amanda Gugulethu Zwane took aim at Lesufi’s analogy, stating that: “The ANC is clearly struggling to read the room. This was perhaps the worst analogy he could have chosen. The very people he is meant to serve cannot afford to rely on hotels or gyms as backup sources of water, those facilities are reserved for those with the means. Even as someone in the middle class who could, to some extent, afford such options, the analogy makes no sense, I must now expand more resources to access water which I already pay for but don't receive.
“He is a servant of the people, and his role is to acknowledge the failures and work toward rectifying them, not to justify nonsense that is completely disconnected from the lived realities of those on the ground from whom he derives his mandate.”
Others echoed the sentiment. Lonalinamandla Letsoalo admitted admiration for the Lesufi but said the comment was misguided: “Look, I really like this guy but yoh he should have sat this one out. There’s no way he can compare this. No ways.”
Itumeleng Nnana Makgobathe slammed the reference to hotels as unnecessary and disconnected from reality: “These people are tone deaf! The hotel part was completely unnecessary- your average man on the street can't even afford to buy water, let alone go to a hotel to bath.”
Thandeka Hlongwa Ziqubu summed up the anger on social media: “Believing you’re doing damage control, not realising you’ve just poured petrol on the fire and called it a solution.”
The Star