Note to editors: Please find attached soundbite by Ryan Smith MP
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has reliably learned that the National Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, will be visiting Knysna on Friday, 15 November 2024, to attend the Knysna Investor Conference. It is understood that Minister Majodina will be part of a broader African National Congress (ANC) delegation led by Deputy President, Paul Mashatile, along with several other high-ranking ANC ministers and officials.
The DA would like to welcome Minister Majodina to Knysna at a time when residents have been languishing under a water and sanitation crisis under her party’s government and its coalition partners the EFF, PA and PBI. We invite the minister to urgently engage with her colleague, Executive Mayor Aubrey Tsengwa who, to date, has done little to address this service delivery decline, and to explain why Knysna has regressed across all governance metrics under the ANC.
Under the current ANC/EFF/PA/PBI coalition, municipal water infrastructure has collapsed, and infrastructure maintenance budgets slashed, leading to widespread water shortages and cuts, the implosion of main roads in Knysna central due to leaking and burst pipes, and the pervasive contamination of Knysna’s environment.
As it stands, the Knysna lagoon is documenting record-high levels of E-coli due to unchecked raw and untreated sewage running into the lagoon and estuary, exacerbated by land invasions around the lagoon where individuals defecate directly into the natural water sources. This onslaught on Knysna’s unique and delicate environment has been well documented in recent months by Carte Blanche and has led to Knysna’s loss of its blue flag beach status, leading to the dissuasion of potential tourist and economic activity.
The DA-led Western Cape Government, together with the Garden Route District Municipality, have proactively engaged with the Knysna Municipality as it pertains to health and environmental concerns relating to the water and sanitation crisis for the benefit of Knysna residents. Given that this crisis is the making of the ANC/EFF/PA/PBI coalition, and in light of serious allegations of corruption and intimidation within the political leadership, we implore the minister and the ANC delegation at large to also take up these issues at a political level with their local colleagues.
Aside from taking these issues up with her colleagues in Knysna, I would recommend that Minister Majodina visit the following sites during her stay to carry out her ministerial duties:
– The Sunridge and Knoetzie Dams where aged piping often breaks leading to widespread water cuts;
– The Costa Sarda pump station and Ashmead channel where untreated wastewater flows directly into the estuary;
– The industrial area, Howard Street vlei, and East Heads parking area where failing water infrastructure has led to raw sewage flowing directly into the estuary;
– A hole in the road at the Corner of Gordon and Long street near the waterfront where two permanent pumps address water flowing into a sinkhole which has paralysed nearby economic and residential activity;
– The Elegant pump station in Concordia including the Sanlam Mall where untreated wastewater flows unchecked and into nearby rivers; and
– Wards 6 and 11 where broken wastewater infrastructure contaminates local homes and flows into the Hunters Home area and onward into the estuary.
As the DA we look forward to the Knysna Investor Conference as an opportunity to showcase Knysna’s potential and to court investment for economic growth. We equally trust that the ANC will utilise this platform and their delegation’s visit to address their party’s political challenges in the municipality which have led to the collapse of the basic services which underpin the local economy. We trust that Minister Majodina enjoys her visit to Knysna, and we hope that the ANC delegation has water during their stay.