The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is now crucial that Parliament step in and urgently convene public hearings into the continued water crisis in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as force the eThekwini Municipality to account for this disaster.

The DA will call for a full parliamentary enquiry by the Portfolio Committee for Water and Sanitation into the ongoing water crisis in eThekwini.

This follows its closed-door meeting with Umngeni-Uthukela Water officials to get a better understanding of the escalating crisis in the municipality.

DA Shadow Minister of Water and Sanitation Leon Basson revealed that during the engagement, several worsening issues around eThekwini and the supply of water were laid bare, such as water losses to the tune of R144-million, which it cannot account for.

This, he said, translates to about 40% of direct water loss, exceeding the national norm. Other issues include a shortage of engineers, maintenance, and service backlog in the municipality.

“The meeting also revealed that the water board supplies eThekwini with more than enough water, but residents still have no water. This vindicates the DA’s belief that eThekwini has failed frustrated residents and continues to be the problem despite their multiple blame games and promises by the Mayor, City Manager and Head of Water,” Basson said.

Worryingly, he highlighted that the entity revealed that eThekwini is a growing risk to the water board because it is the single largest customer they have.

“If eThekwini collapsed, so would Umngnei-Uthukela, threatening water security to the entire province of KwaZulu-Natal,” he warned.

The DA believes a multi-party government and the immediate placement of eThekwini under administration are the only solutions in fixing the “catastrophic water crisis” which has resulted in a “gross violation of human rights”.