Ramaphosa orders ministers to skip SONA for Gauteng water crisis

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina and her counterpart in Cooperative Governance, Velenkosini Hlabisa, will not be attending Thursday’s State of the Nation Address.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered them and their deputies to instead deal with the ongoing water crisis in Gauteng.

Some parts of the province have been struggling with water shortages, leading to a number of protests.

The two ministers were told to sit out the festivities this evening as the ongoing water crisis in some parts of Gauteng and the frustration of many residents has caught the President’s attention.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered all hands on deck until the situation is resolved.

Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says it is important that the different sectors of government are in one room for a coordinated and quicker response.

“They are not sent to Johannesburg alone; they are sent to Tshwane too. That’s why Deputy Water Minister David Mahlobo—because he had not reached Cape Town—started in Tshwane yesterday, because the people of Tshwane do not have water. They are not unique, but you need to say what are the immediate pressures to intervene that will alleviate that problem.”

On Thursday, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi issued a public apology following his comments on Wednesday, where he said the water crisis in the province forced him to take a bath at a hotel.

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