Note to Editors: Please find an English soundbite by Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku here
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg is deeply disturbed by the absence of the Mayor, Dada Morero, and his executive while sewerage leaks flood streets across Johannesburg – many of which are taking days, and sometimes weeks, to repair.
The DA calls for the immediate release of the Sewerage Infrastructure Audit, and a comprehensive plan of action to be tabled.
Over the past few months, several communities across the City have been affected, including areas in the south, west, and inner city and northern Suburbs like Rand park Ridge, Waverly, Savoy and Melrose where sewage flooded yards and homes.
Families are forced to live next to raw sewage, with children playing near raw effluent and residents navigate through unbearable stench and hazardous conditions.
This is not just a service failure – it is a public health and human dignity crisis.
Yet what we are seeing is a growing pattern of inaction, while members of the executive have time to spend their days in television news studios, explaining their misdeeds away.
The DA has raised this issue on numerous occasions through section 79 committee and some councillors even requested reports on number of sewerage leaks in their wards, without any response.
Residents cannot be expected to contend with tariff increases, when they are forced to drive through raw sewage on a weekly basis.