President Cyril Ramaphosa pulled the ministers of water and sanitation and Cogta from attending the state of the nation address and instructed them to tackle the Johannesburg water crisis urgently.
This is a great leadership decision by the president. However, I am surprised at how quickly he decided to have the Johannesburg water crisis resolved. Hammanskraal has been having a water crisis for more than two decades and the government doesn’t resolve the problem.
Local, provincial and national government officials always say in the media that the Hammanskraal water crisis has been solved, meaning merely 8% to 10% of the area.
Water tankers roam the streets daily, selling water when the Tshwane municipality had promised the people free water from the same tankers.
The only time the people of Hammanskraal are being taken seriously is during the elections. Even now, as we approach the local government elections later this year, there will be a fake temporary clean drinkable water supply in the area.
It is high time government officials remember that the people of Hammanskraal are taxpayers as well. - Mpho Phokela, Temba, Hammanskraal
