The DA has called for the immediate removal of Musa Mbhele as City Manager of eThekwini following his disastrous handling of the ongoing water supply crisis, which has left countless residents and businesses across the city without water for extended periods.
Despite repeated assurances from the City Manager, the situation on the ground continues to worsen, demonstrating his inability to address the city’s critical infrastructure issues effectively.
The water supply crisis has caused significant disruptions to residents in areas across eThekwini. The City Manager’s failure to manage this crisis and restore water supply has exposed his complete incompetence.
The DA outlines the following key failures under Musa Mbhele’s leadership:
1. Recurrent Water Supply Failures: The persistent water supply disruptions highlight the City Manager’s failure to address long-standing issues. The mismanagement of critical infrastructure like the prospection pumps and many others is an example of his inability to ensure basic service delivery.
2. Incompetence in Crisis Management: The water crisis has been met with confusion, poor communication, and a lack of timely action from Mbhele and his team. Residents were left without water for weeks, with no clear course of action or consistent updates.
3. Unacceptable Delays and Poor Coordination: The city’s response has been marked by delays, with officials shifting blame rather than taking responsibility. This has left residents in limbo, enduring prolonged water shortages with no clear solutions.
4. Lack of Plumber Contractors and Resources: A shortage of contract plumbers, especially during weekends and after hours, has worsened the situation. Mbhele has denied the existence of this issue, further illustrating his failure to address the city’s infrastructure needs.
5. Economic Impact on Local Businesses: Local businesses, have been forced to incur significant expenses securing alternative water supplies, adding further strain to an already struggling economy.
6. Deception and Inaction: Despite the ongoing crisis, the City Manager has failed to provide a credible solution or restore services in a timely manner. The delayed repairs, inadequate water tankers, and ongoing pump failures indicate that eThekwini residents can no longer rely on the current administration.
Given the persistent failures of leadership, the DA demands the immediate resignation or removal of Musa Mbhele as City Manager. His incompetence has severely hindered the city’s ability to improve service delivery and address the basic needs of its residents.
The DA’s demands are as follows:
• The immediate removal of Musa Mbhele to allow for new leadership capable of addressing eThekwini’s service delivery crises.
• A comprehensive action plan to fix the city’s water infrastructure, including clear timelines for repairs and accountability measures for critical pumps and delivery systems.
• A review of staffing and resource allocation to ensure the availability of contract plumbers and emergency response teams, particularly during crises.
• Immediate action to restore reliable water supply to affected areas across the city.
The DA has written to the City Manager demanding answers on his immediate action plan to resolve water issues. We remain committed to fighting for the residents of this city and will continue to hold those responsible for ongoing failures accountable.