Note to Editors: Please find attached Cllr-Thys-Janse-van-Rensburg-English-Soundbite
-Water outage in Ladysmith started on 7 August and remains unresolved.
-Schools forced to close due to unhygienic conditions.
-DA High Court case set for 19 October 2026.
The water outage affecting large parts of Ladysmith, including Steadville and Acaciaville, has now entered its third week with no end in sight under this IFP-led administration.
The crisis began on 7 August 2026. Two weeks later, residents are still without reliable water. Schools have now been forced to close. Ladysmith Secondary School confirmed in a letter to parents on 20 August that it has become non-operational. The Department of Labour closed the school because of unhygienic conditions caused by the lack of water. Grade 12 learners are being asked to attend only limited classes while the rest of the school remains shut.
This is the direct result of years of failure by the IFP. While communities suffer and children’s education is disrupted, the municipality continues to lose 65% of its water and sits with over R1.3 billion in unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
The DA has taken decisive action. Our High Court application is set down for hearing on 19 October 2026 in the Pietermaritzburg High Court. We are asking the court to compel the municipality to restore water services, to place it under proper administration and for the Courts to practise oversight.
Residents cannot continue living like this. On 4 November 2026, voters will have the power to choose change. The DA is committed to fixing water infrastructure, ending corruption, and ensuring that public money is spent on services, not wasted.
The people of uThukela deserve water and dignity. The DA will not stop fighting until both are delivered.