Msunduzi MUNICIPALITY blames MKP for the flow of water that disrupted the work of the High Court in Pietermaritzburg and other government offices last week.
Council officials have filed a case with the police after an investigation found that some people deliberately closed the water valves in parts of the city.
The hearing of many cases at the High Court in Pietermaritzburg was postponed last week due to the lack of water in many parts of the city.
The Deputy Mayor of Msunduzi, Mr. Mxolisi Mkhize, criticized the MKP for being involved in disrupting the water supply.
Mkhize said that the council workers who have left the ANC and joined the MKP told him to his face that they would do anything to get the ANC out of Msunduzi.
“This tells you that there is a political threat when someone says that they will do anything to ensure that they remove us from power. I am a member of the ANC, which means that they are explaining that they will remove the ANC from power as they have left us to form their own political party, the MKP. They did not hide that from me, they told me. I then forwarded the report as it is, then I said let’s open a case and it will be investigated.”
The Chairman of MKP KwaZulu-Natal, Mr. Willies Mchunu, likened the action of the council to recklessly target MKP when there was no thorough investigation.
Mchunu said that it would have been reasonable if the municipality had conducted an investigation and found out which people were involved and filed a case against them.
“Sometimes it happens when people fail and want to infect other people.”
Mchunu said they will also investigate these allegations to find out their authenticity.
“I don’t want to deny or admit it. What I can say is that it is a crime to interfere with the water supply. The municipality should open a case.”
The Mayor, Mr. Mzimkhulu Thebolla, said that they first received a complaint that water was slowly coming out of the city.
Thebolla said that they quickly fixed the problem but the water continued to come out in many places.
Thebolla said that they started an investigation to find out where the problem is.
“When we investigated, we found out that there are people interfering with the water infrastructure. We found out that the water pipes in the city, especially in the main court, were closed.”
Thebolla said they have filed a case with the police.
“We are cooperating with all the investigating agencies because we want to find out who is disrupting the water supply. We want to find out if the council employees are involved in this matter. If it is that our employees are also involved, we will take action against them. We will not only take action against them but they will also be arrested.”
Thebolla said that they suspect political influence especially as they are looking at the local government elections.
“The valves were closed on purpose. Those who do this thing know that shutting off the water will upset people. Water is a constitutional right.”