The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Msunduzi has written to KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC, Rev. Thulasizwe Buthelezi and the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, to demand urgent intervention as the water crisis worsens in the municipality (view letter here).
The DA will also launch a petition and community campaign to mobilise residents and demand swift, meaningful action.
This follows the latest incident where residents in parts of Msunduzi, have endured nine days without any water supply. The DA has also recently learnt that the Msunduzi water department has a 60% vacancy rate.
This is not merely a service delivery failure — it is a humanitarian crisis and a gross violation of basic human rights. Water is not a privilege; it is a constitutional right, and the ongoing failure to ensure access in Msunduzi has reached catastrophic levels.
For years, residents of Msunduzi have borne the brunt of a collapsing water supply system, riddled with neglect, mismanagement, and corruption. The current crisis underscores the complete breakdown of essential services under the ANC-led coalition government — supported by the IFP, EFF, PA, and other smaller parties — who have once again voted against the DA’s credible and proven Water Rescue Plan, already yielding results in DA-run municipalities.
We are calling for:
– Immediate ringfencing of funds for urgent infrastructure upgrades, maintenance, and water supply capacity building.
– Transparency and accountability in the municipality’s response mechanisms.
The DA in Msunduzi has now pursued intervention from both the Provincial and National Governments, with a formal call for action to:
- The Department of Water & Sanitation, to address this disaster with the urgency it demands.
- KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) to urgently deploy an independent forensic task team to investigate infrastructure sabotage, mismanagement, and theft.
The DA will not rest while the residents of Msunduzi suffer in silence and neglect.
We demand clean, safe, and reliable water — NOW.