Govt to pursue municipal managers failing to supply water steadily – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa said government will soon go after municipal managers in their personal capacity for failing to ensure a steady water supply for residents.

He said they’ve already taken action against several municipalities across the country who are unable to address water supply challenges in their towns and cities.

Ramaphosa gave the undertaking during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday night, amid growing water supply shortages in some provinces.

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Ramaphosa has vowed to take action against municipalities who fail to address ongoing water challenges.

He said government has already laid criminal charges against 56 municipalities that have failed to meet their obligations.

“We will now move to lay charges against municipal managers in their personal capacity for violating the National Water Act.”

Ramaphosa said to address the growing water crisis, the government will use the same approach it used when it was dealing with the electricity crisis.

He said he will be personally involved in resolving the water shortages, which have seen communities in places like Johannesburg go without water for weeks.

“Using the same approach, we will now elevate our response to the water crisis to a National Water Crisis Committee, which I will chair.”

He said the crisis committee will bring together all existing efforts into a single coordinating body.