The Democratic Alliance's (DA) eThekwini mayoral candidate, Haniff Hoosen, has marked one year since launching his campaign to become mayor of Durban. He believes that residents in the city are ready to elect a new party to lead the province's largest municipality. Hoosen said that the DA has engaged with hundreds of communities and visited many areas across the city, where residents' frustration with the current governance was clear.
Hoosen stated that the majority of people they met felt let down by the African National Congress (ANC), which they have supported for the past 30 years. They are desperate for change and open-minded about considering other parties. The DA's prospects going forward are huge, he said, as the party has told residents that, if they want to see change, they can change the government.
The DA is concerned about the possibility of an MK Party government in eThekwini, with Hoosen stating that the MK Party and the ANC are effectively the same. He said that anyone who votes for the MK Party is essentially going to get the same ANC government. The DA has outlined several key pillars that it says will transform governance in eThekwini.
Water shortages have become a central part of the DA's campaign as it seeks to challenge what it describes as failures by the current administration. Hoosen said that the DA was ready to turn eThekwini around, citing the party's track record of governance across South Africa. He contrasted this with the ANC's governance in eThekwini, which he said has led to significant water losses.
According to Hoosen, eThekwini is now losing around 65% of its water, up from 48.9% when the current term began in 2021. This amounts to approximately 21 billion litres of water lost every month. The administration knew the condition of the water system and had five years to act, but instead, losses rose and infrastructure deteriorated, while residents paid more for less.
On Monday, the DA unveiled a billboard naming three senior eThekwini Municipality leaders as being "responsible" for the water problems. The mayor, city manager, and head of Water and Sanitation appear on the billboard because, the DA says, the water crisis has worsened under their leadership. The party alleged that the city was losing a lot of money by hiring water tankers to deliver water and security guards to escort the tankers during deliveries.
The eThekwini Municipality has pushed back against allegations of a "water tanker mafia", saying that the city had invested about R345 million in purchasing its own water tankers over the past few years and no longer uses hired water tankers. The mayor's office had not commented on the billboard, but the DA leader, Sithembiso Ngema, said it was essential for eThekwini residents to know who was responsible for the city's water supply.
Key points
- The DA's Haniff Hoosen marks one year of campaigning, saying Durban residents are frustrated with ANC governance and seeking change.
- The DA has made water shortages a central part of its campaign, highlighting the failures of the current administration.
- The party has named three senior eThekwini Municipality leaders as being "responsible" for the water problems in the city.
