Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has apologised to the residents of Gauteng for ongoing service delivery challenges.
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi used his State of the Provincial Address (SOPA) on Monday to apologise to the residents of Gauteng for service delivery challenges.
Lesufi delivered his highly anticipated SOPA at the Nasrec Expo Centre, as the province grapples with ongoing service delivery challenges that have become a mounting source of frustration for residents.
Last year, Lesufi outlined 13 key priorities aimed at tackling these issues, but dissatisfaction among residents remain as his government faces criticism over challenges such as water supply, infrastructure maintenance and crime management.
Lesufi revealed that water challenges in the province were exacerbated by infrastructure issues which disrupted water services in areas such as Midrand and Thembisa.
"On 27 January, we were hit by an unexpected water shortage. There was a huge explosion at the Rand Water plant. After the explosion, a fire broke out on our transmission machines, followed by a huge burst pipe. Immediately thereafter, our water supply was deeply affected. We then went into an emergency mode while the burst pipe was repaired. However, the water levels were deeply affected," he stated.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi delivered his State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Monday.
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers
Lesufi revealed that the province has a permanent solution to the water challenges, earmarking R750 million in infrastructure investment.
"However, the areas that remain stubborn and difficult include parts of Westdene, Coronationville, Sophiatown, Melville, and Emmarentia...to permanently resolve these issues, a R750 million massive infrastructure investment upgrade is under way in the City of Johannesburg over a phased approach," he added.
Ahead of his address, the DA's provincial chairperson, Solly Msimanga, condemned the provincial government's inability to provide a consistent water supply to various regions, including Midrand, Melville, and Westbury.
"Every community, from Tshwane to Merafong, except the DA-led Midvaal, is complaining about one or more of the following issues: water, electricity, sanitation, schools, hospitals, roads, social services, housing, unemployment, or corruption," Msimanga said. He further emphasised the severity of the situation, stating that many areas had been without water for weeks and highlighted the prolonged power outages due to unresolved transformer failures.
Lesufi acknowledged the recent intervention made by Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, who recently approved an urgent application by Rand Water to abstract additional water from the Integrated Vaal River System in a bid to stabilise struggling municipal reservoirs across Gauteng.
"Furthermore, the national government is assisting us in realising the return on investment made, so that people have their dignity restored.
Lesufi further revealed that the construction of a new reservoir in Brixton will help resolve some of the water challenges that have arisen.
"In response to this crisis, we have built an emergency boosting pumping station, which will go live next week, to ensure that the areas are covered with water," he added.