During a Full Council Meeting last week, Wednesday, a report was considered by Council dealing with the Umgeni Water supply agreement with Msunduzi Municipality.
The contents and recommendations of the report did not speak to the Service Level Agreement but spoke of signing off on the Umkomaas Dam Project that Umgeni Water are planning to undertake.
The DA raised the contradictions and irregularities in the report, proposed that the report be referred back and a new report with the correct content and recommendations be urgently submitted to Council.
Today the correct report, with the correct contents, and correct recommendations has been furnished and approved at a Special Full Council, despite the ANC Caucus opposing our view, and wanting the report as is.
The Umkomaas Dam project is a “knee jerk” reaction to the fact that this Province and its management of water is dysfunctional.
The Dam will be built on the Umkomaas River, and the pump station built near Baynesfield.
Umgeni Water is in fact requesting all local municipalities to help foot the bill for the construction of this Dam. There will be a proposed Levy imposed on the residents of each local municipality.
All municipalities above this Dam will not directly benefit, the authorities are ultimately trying to spin this to say that Msunduzi will benefit through an increased allocation of water from Umgeni Water when this Dam is completed.
This cannot be the case if currently we owe Umgeni Water close to R500 Million and have defaulted on a number of payments. We simply don’t have the ability to manage our own water distribution. Msunduzi has failed dismally in managing our material losses (as per the Auditor General) and continue to fail in providing water to communities across the municipality.
On top of Umgeni Water’s proposed tariff increases, Msunduzi residents must foot another levy and pay for something that we will never see benefits from.
The DA will not stand for irregularities, incompetence of administration, and misleading tactics to sneak reports through Council to suite the ANC’s agenda.
The DA fights for you!