The Democratic Alliance in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) will continue to apply pressure on the municipality to put a stop to the rampant theft of water, which regularly leaves the vital agricultural, industrial, and residential node of Letsitele without supply.
Previously, the brazen and unchecked theft of water by tanker operators drawing from the village’s fire hydrants left Letsitele dry on a daily basis.
After much agitation and negotiation with the municipality, the DA was instrumental in securing approval for the installation of lockable ‘anti-water-theft boxes’ on the village’s fire hydrants, sponsored through support raised by the DA.
However, the problem has now shifted to the municipal refuse site. Despite repeated assurances that action would be taken, it appears that municipal staff are either being intimidated into inaction or that the ANC-led municipality is simply unwilling to intervene and is content to allow the theft to continue, leaving paying consumers high and dry.
The ultimate solution lies in replacing the current ANC-led municipal council in next year’s local government election, with ethical leaders committed to governing GTM lawfully and in the interests of its residents.