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ANC deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane has rejected attempts to blame the party for the water crisis gripping parts of Gauteng, arguing that the problem lies with an unreliable water supply system and the various entities responsible for its management.
Mokonyane said the crisis should not be placed at the ANC’s doorstep as residents head to the polls in the local government elections, insisting it was a national problem requiring interventions beyond individual municipalities.
She was speaking to TimesLIVE after casting her special vote in ward 23 in Mogale City on Tuesday.
“The ANC doesn’t take lightly what is happening. It’s not that there is no water, it’s that the system is not reliable in providing water, particularly to the residents of Gauteng, including us in this part of the province,” she said.
Mokonyane said the ANC was aware of a statement issued by Rand Water warning residents against overconsumption of water. She said ANC national executive committee member and deputy minister of water and sanitation, David Mahlobo, was working with Rand Water, Joburg Water and City Power to engage other entities on the crisis.
She said the problem was not unique to Johannesburg but affected the country more broadly.
It’s not the ANC, it’s a system, and the different entities that South Africans said must be independent
— Nomvula Mokonyane, ANC deputy secretary-general
“We can’t contest with entities when we are supposed to be contesting political parties. There are many things that are at play, but what we would really wish to see is that this anomaly must not be made a hindrance for people to come out and vote and be put at the doorstep of the ANC.
“It’s not the ANC, it’s a system, and the different entities that South Africans said must be independent… Hence the interventions that the secretary-general of the ANC has escalated to the deployees of the ANC to attend to … But this [is] not only a Johannesburg issue. It’s a national issue. A few years ago it was Eskom; now it’s water.”
She welcomed the briefing by the City of Johannesburg mayor, Dada Morero, on the water situation but stressed that the crisis extended beyond the city.
Turning to the elections, Mokonyane described the voting process as an important moment for South Africans and residents in every ward and locality.
She said she took time to study the ballot papers before making her mark, despite being clear about which party she intended to support.
“I took my time, among others, to study what was on the ballot paper. I saw the ANC the minute I opened it, but I could realise there were also others who were almost ANC. That actually made me go through the ballot.
“I was very clear. I was not confused about what I would do. On all three ballots I voted for the ANC,” she said.
Mokonyane said the contest in Mogale City reflected the changing political landscape, with several parties now attempting to challenge the traditional contest between the ANC, the DA and the Freedom Front Plus.
She said it was significant that the ANC had a candidate who lived in the ward, contrasting this with what she described as other parties fielding general candidates.
“It’s interesting, for the first time in this particular ward, we don’t only have the DA, the Freedom Front Plus and ourselves. Everybody is trying their luck. What is of importance is that the ANC remains on the ballot.
“We have a candidate resident here. We don’t have general candidates like other parties,” she added.
Mokonyane said she also paid particular attention to the district ballot, which she said would help voters understand the political composition of the government that would emerge in the West Rand region.
“Making your mark must also be about understanding who is actually contesting against you. I’ve seen the contestants against the ANC. We have no friends on the ballot paper,” she said.
TimesLIVE
Lizeka Tandwa
www.timeslive.co.za
