Cape Town lifts water restrictions, after world-class effort to avoid Day Zero

Dear Cape Town

The Democratic Alliance (DA) celebrates the announcement by the City of Cape Town (CoCT) to lift water restrictions in the metro.

Capetonians should be extremely proud of playing their part to reduce water consumption, which helped to avoid Day Zero. We see the lifting of water restrictions as a shining example of a competent and committed government working in partnership with a great commitment from residents, to achieve this.

The efforts of the City and residents of Cape Town were so crucial to overcome a drought crisis exacerbated by the National Government’s massive failures and neglect.

We recognise that back in 2018 when threat of Day Zero was imminent in Cape Town, the City responded with innovative interventions to stop the potential crisis from escalating.

In this regard, the City proactively had to “fill the gaps” created by a failing National Government.

The DA is proud to recognise that the City of Cape Town forged ahead and implemented very effective measures to avoid Day Zero, including:

• Banned the use of water for swimming pools, washing cars and watering lawns, including the following;
• Rolled out water management devices to households and businesses who continued to use high volumes of water and introduced penalties; and
• Water pressure was reduced which led to lower overall consumption but also decreased water losses from leakage.

Cape Town and the Western Cape Governments, both DA governments, also worked hard to get large water consumers, from shopping centres to schools, to implement strict water-saving practices.

The DA provincial government ensured that there were mitigation plans in place for vital public institutions, especially schools and hospitals, should Day Zero arrive, which included identifying safe borehole sites and installing JoJo tanks.

The political reality, outside of where the DA governs, is that many municipalities across the country have already reached Day Zero due to a lack of political will from those municipal executives and officials, under ANC governance. We hold ourselves to an entirely higher standard, and therefore we truly sympathise with those South Africans who now face growing water cuts and shortages without the commitment and dedication to avoid their own Day Zeros, as Cape Town displayed under the DA.

Cape Town, hand in hand with residents, not only defeated Day Zero but has ensured water security for many years to come – this is the DA difference in government, in action.

In August of this year Cape Town launched the first groundwater supply project from the Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifer, next to the City’s Steenbras Dam, which is now operational. Once completed, it will contribute up to about 30 million litres per day. This is a milestone achievement in the implementation of the Cape Town Water Strategy which will secure water sustainability into the future.

The past 2 years the CoCT has proven what can be achieved when residents and competent governments work together towards a desired outcome.

Regards

Solly Malatsi MP
DA National Spokesperson