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The Democratic Alliance has called on KZN Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, to urgently engage with the provincial cabinet in order to ensure a consistent water supply within the Ugu District Municipality ahead of the summer tourist season.

The purpose of the DA’s call is two-fold. Firstly, Ugu relies heavily on tourism and the success of the upcoming days and weeks are critical in ensuring the livelihoods of thousands of residents within this sector.

Then there is the identification of the new Covid-19 variant B1.1.529 – Omicron – with ongoing research being done to determine the transmissibility and the effects on vaccines, morbidity and mortality.

The most important preventative measures for Covid-19 are non-pharmaceutical, including hand-washing and sanitising surfaces. Both require water.

Yet the reality is that large parts of the Ugu District Municipality continue to have severe water outages affecting healthcare facilities and residents alike, sometimes for days on end.

Ugu’s financial problems are also impacting on water service delivery as the municipality continues to receive qualified audits and unfunded budgets.

If MEC Simelane-Zulu and KZN’s cabinet cannot secure reliable water access, then the municipality must be placed under administration in terms of Section 139.

Certainly, there is no time to waste when it comes to service delivery in Ugu. The influx of visitors within just a matter of days demands that the supply of water to be prioritised.

Issued by Dr Rishigen Viranna, MPL /Elma Rabe, MPL