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Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng lodged a PAIA application on Rand Water. As the organisation has previously denied the right to oversight while refusing to grant municipalities the telemetric data, they need to plan adequately. This is the next step in forcing Rand Water, and its CEO, Sipho Mosai, to account for their failings.

After yesterday’s oversight visit to Midvaal, it has become clear that the lack of transparency from Rand Water is the culprit in Gauteng’s water struggles. In this municipality they have resorted to planning around institutional failure.

As an engineered day zero draws near,the executive of Rand Water are content with maladministration and ineffectiveness. The people of Gauteng, however, are not.

As stated in our open letter to Minister Mchunu, residents cannot spend 60 days without water. No municipality can provide water to its residents when Telemetric data is not readily available. It becomes impossible to plan.

The question, then becomes, is Rand Water throttling supply to Municipalities? And why?

Their lack of planning, and refusal to acknowledge that they are in fact unable to fulfil their mandate only serves to frustrate residents while constructing a crumbling façade. This is why thousands are calling for the CEO of Rand Water’s Resignation.

Minister Mchunu should fire him. Not only because he continually fails the people of Gauteng, but also because he refuses to acknowledge the role he plays therein.

We require the telemetric data Rand Water refuses to share to become public, and we need to know how much Rand Water spends on their executive security. Surely tax payers can’t be expected to flip the bill to protect an executive from the consequences of their inaction.

Issued by Solly Msimanga MPL - DA Gauteng Premier Candidate