The billboard in question. (Photo: DA)
The ANC wrote to the DA on Thursday and demanded that the billboard that the DA erected this week in the north of Pretoria be removed.
The DA in Gauteng unveiled a billboard on Stormvoël Road on Tuesday that mocks Prime Minister Panyaza Lesufi’s recent comment that he also struggles with water cuts – to the extent that he sometimes has to take a bath in a hotel.
The ANC says this billboard is humiliating and damages the prime minister’s reputation.
The party is now threatening legal action if the billboard is not removed within 12 hours of the DA’s receipt of his letter.
The DA’s new billboard. (Photo: DA/X)
“We want to reassure the ANC that the DA cannot do anything to damage Mr. Lesufi’s reputation more than he has already done,” said Helen Zille, chairman of the DA’s federal council, in response to the letter on Thursday.
Zille believes the billboard is “nowhere near as humiliating” as Lesufi’s recent comments to residents of Gauteng about the province’s ongoing water cuts.
She says in its letter the ANC could not state any legal reason why the billboard should be removed, as the billboard simply reveals the truth of what the prime minister said.
“We understand that the truth hurts. However, the DA will not meet the ANC’s 12-hour deadline to remove the billboard. Instead, we want to encourage Prime Minister Lesufi to act with the same level of urgency against the water crisis as he did against this billboard.”
???? Hey @Lesufithe legal letter from your ANC lawyers can’t fix the water crisis. But action in government can get water back in taps.
About the shower billboard, we won’t take it down. Gauteng residents deserve to know the truth and they deserve reliable water 24/7. pic.twitter.com/KUzVHmKSaI
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) March 5, 2026
Political gimmick?
Cosatu believes the billboard is opportunistic – a “cheap political gimmick” in a municipal election year.
“Premier Lesufi’s comments where he indicated that he also experienced water shortages and sometimes had to shower elsewhere, was clearly intended to show that the crisis affects everyone, including public representatives,” says Amos Vusi Monyela, Gauteng chairman of Cosatu.
“Although we recognize that the way in which the comments were conveyed could have caused frustration among residents who endure daily hardships, it is important to contextualize it,” Monyela believes.
“The prime minister did not try to undermine the suffering of communities. On the contrary, he tried to show that the water crisis is not selective and that even those in leadership are not immune to the impact of failing infrastructure, aging water systems, load shedding measures and restrictions on bulk supply.”
Monyela then admits that Lesufi could have handled his words more sensitively.
“However, we reject the DA’s attempt to twist the statement and use it for political advantage. The people of Gauteng need practical interventions, infrastructure investment and accountability, not billboard politics.”
The billboard in question. (Photo: DA)