/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The Democratic Alliance in eThekwini calls for the newly elected mayor, Cllr Cyril Xaba, to broaden the scope of his investigation with regards to water shortages and other service delivery challenges in the city.

During his maiden speech in a special council meeting yesterday, the mayor promised to hit the ground running. He undertook, among other things, to write to the city manager to request a report about why the communities of Extension in Claremont and Hillcrest had recently gone without water supply for several days. He said he found this to be unacceptable and shocking.

The DA would like to bring it to the mayor's attention that this is a daily occurrence in many communities across the city. The people of Engonyameni, KwaXimba, Inanda, Ntuzuma, (Intake), Umlazi, Phoenix, Shallcross, Chatsworth - to name a few - go without water for days on end without any explanation from the municipality. The plight of the people is exacerbated by a shortage of water tankers.

We call on the mayor to not limit his investigation to just the two areas mentioned in his speech as service delivery issues are widespread.

Issued by Cllr Welekazi Sibiya - DA eThekwini Councillor