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For more than a year residents of Mangaung Municipality have been plagued by water restrictions implemented due to non-payment by the Municipality, pipe bursts, reservoirs being cleaned or blockages after heavy rains.

Yesterday, Bloemwater released a statement that the water supply is being reduced to 30% due to the outstanding debt owed by the Municipality. Bloemwater provides 69% of the water to the residents of Bloemfontein and the remaining 31% of residents receive their water from the Maselspoort plant which belongs to the Mangaung Municipality.

The issue of non-payment has been addressed by the DA on several occasions to Mayor Olly Mlamleli as well as the City Manager, Adv. Tankiso Mea. What is disturbing is that residents with conventional meters pay their bills to the municipality but are denied their basic right of adequate water supply. Not to mention the injustice to those whom have prepaid meters.

It is time the ANC are made accountable for their poor management and uncaring nature. Higher authorities have to intervene and resolve this crisis. The ANC can no longer stick their heads in the sand like ostriches and hope the situation will go away.

In order to resolve this matter, the DA will be writing to the Minister of COGTA, Dr Nkosazana Dlamani-Zuma, requesting her to intervene. Today the Provincial Leader, Patricia Kopane will attend the Parliamentary Committee for Water and Sanitation and will be requesting the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, to urgently intervene and resolve the dispute between Bloemwater and Mangaung Municipality. The matter will also be tabled at Legislature debates this week.

The DA will continue to strive to resolve this travesty. The ANC has been complacent and only focused on enriching themselves. It is clear that they do not know how to deliver the services they promised our people. Where we govern we deliver basic services and more.

Only the DA can bring change that will speed up the delivery of basic services.

Issued by The DA