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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) CoGTA MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, to immediately intervene following the discovery that water pipe breakages within the Ugu District Municipality (UDM) have increased by 50% as a result of the recent floods.

The call was made during a Sitting of the KZN Legislature earlier today and comes after a recent notice from the municipality which confirms the breakages. (view here)

According to the notice, issued on 26 May, the list of pipe breakages has increased to 90, just within the South Region. This is a 50% jump in just one month from their March report. The breakages have left thousands of residents within the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality, including Hibberdene to Ramsgate, Izingolweni, Murchison and Port Edward without water for weeks.

Despite SANDF Operation Chariot deployment to the district following the floods, Ugu Mayor, Councillor Phumlile Mthiyane, has not deployed the SANDF’s engineering brigade to rectify the situation. This is a gross municipal failure.

The SANDF has made it clear that they receive their work priorities from the District Disaster Management Coordinating War Room. As the Head of the District Disaster Management Coordinating war room, the mayor has a duty to act on behalf of residents at a time such as this. Clearly, she does not care whether people go without water and is incapable of dealing with the situation herself. There have been numerous complaints from residents of SANDF soldiers shopping at local shopping centres instead of resolving flood damage.

MEC Hlomuka and his Department need to urgently intervene to ensure the proper use of SANDF resources to fix water infrastructure during the current state of disaster.

The DA will continue to exert pressure on KZN’s ANC-run government in this regard and will not tolerate a situation where residents within this municipality are forced to endure further suffering.

Issued by Rishigen Viranna MPL - DA Ugu South Constituency Head