Rand Water cuts blamed on Apartheid

Add as a preferred source on Google

VEREENIGING. – The State of the Municipality Address (SOMA) placed the blame for the current Rand Water cuts on the former apartheid infrastructure.

This message came from the Executive Mayor of Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM), Councillor Jacob Khawe, during his SOMA address hosted in the City Hall on June 26. Cllr Khawe said he had nothing against whites and Indians in general, but apartheid was “definitely the cause for the collapsing ELM infrastructure”. “It is not my doing that apartheid created rich and poor, and the black unemployed who are unable to pay for their services. “I do not have the intention to dislike white people,” he said. He also said that he had nothing against black people who are rich and educated. The audience lapped it up as he laid the current state of affairs on the previous regime. Khawe did point out, however, that at least 60% of should-be rate payers were not paying for services. He also pointed out that the national and provincial governments were perfectly capable of helping ELM financially.

He appealed to the local population to pay for water and electricity “even though the account itself was unmanageable”. He said ELM had already paid R70 million to Rand Water last week. Khawe also highlighted that there are currently lots of managers, chiefs and assistance managers who “manage themselves” at ELM. He plans to decrease the number of 33 managers and assistants to 22. This cutting process will save the municipality apporximately R4,8 million a year.