THE water problem plaguing Thekwini Municipality became a problem when President Cyril Ramaphosa praised the good work done by the team he assigned to solve the problems facing the council.
Ramaphosa said that although there is a lot of good work done by the team he appointed two years ago, he laments about the water problem, which he said should be addressed immediately.
He said this while speaking at a meeting of the team in Durban, yesterday.
The President said he is worried about the water problem.
“Another big problem is the water that ends up in the ground. More than 55% of the water ends up in the ground. There is too much of this water and it means that the municipality is losing a lot of money.”
Ramaphosa said that another problem that needs to be addressed is neglected buildings, and he said that the work done by the team is great.
“Businessmen are returning to the city because they have regained hope. The municipality is doing better in collecting money.”
Ramaphosa said that due to the good performance of Thekwini, they decided to bring a meeting of the heads of countries under the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“This is a way to reward a team that has done an outstanding job.”
The businessmen praised the good work done but also criticized it.
The CEO of Toyota, Mr. Suben Moodley, complained about the water and electricity problem.
Moodley said that the water and electricity problem has affected the operations of their companies in South Durban.
“If you look at how many times the electricity and water have been disrupted in the past 40 months, you will be surprised. This situation has greatly disrupted the operations of companies. This problem must be addressed.”
The tourism officer, Ms. Samantha Croft, said that the closure of the beaches due to sewage had a major impact on tourism.
“The beaches were closed for a long time. We are happy that they are now open.”
The President of the Durban Chamber of Commerce, Mr Asheen Magjeecomplained about the high increase in water and electricity.
Magjee said the steep increase in water and electricity pressures businessmen.
These words were echoed by the chairman of the KZN Growth Coalition, Mr Moses Tembe, who lamented that you must have a strong background if you are a businessman working in Durban.
“I always say that it is expensive to be a businessman in Durban. If the cost of being a businessman in Durban is reduced, there are many companies that can approach and enable the municipality to collect more money.”