According to President Cyril Ramaphosa, all three spheres of government are cooperating to prevent the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in the Eastern Cape from running out of water completely.
During a tour of the crucial Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Works in Gqeberha, which is used to transport water from the Gariep Dam and into the city’s parched metro, the President made his statement.
He’s in the area to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day.
“It is important for the private sector, all NGOs and other organisations to work together with the national [Water and Sanitation] Department, the provincial government as well as the local municipality here.
“If we all work together, we are able to address the challenges and the difficulties that we face. I’ve been troubled by the water challenges here. But now I can see that all levels of government – the Minister, the Premier and the Mayor – are making all efforts to resolve the problem and to push away Day Zero,” he said.
The water purification project, according to President Ramaphosa, is a beacon in the local community’s struggle against Day Zero.
“This project [Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Works] is proof that if we work together, we will be able to save water and address all of the challenges when it comes to water supply. We are trying all we can to make sure that the water problems facing Gqeberha are fixed. What I have seen here shows me that we will be able to do so.”
The President stated that although the government is making every effort to stop Day Zero in the city, local residents must also contribute by using water prudently and sparingly.
At the riverbank in Emlotheni Township in Veeplaas, he will launch the Clear Rivers Campaign to mark the conclusion of Nelson Mandela Day.