'Population growth led to water cuts

The DA has not ruled out sabotage as one of the reasons the city has failed to provide water

- Lunga Mzangwe

Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has said population growth is one of the reasons city residents have faced several water cuts over the past few weeks.

This comes as a voice note circulated on WhatsApp claimed political sabotage was at the centre of Johannesburg's worsening water crisis, which has seen taps running dry in suburbs such as Westbury, Carletonville, Linden, Tembisa and Soweto.

The Mail & Guardian is in possession of the voice note, in which a man, apparently an ActionSA Johannesburg councillor identified as Zac, says the water problems in the city had been deliberately caused in a bid to remove Morero and replace him with finance MMC Loyiso Masuku.

Masuku and Morero are vying for the ANC regional chairperson position at the party's upcoming regional conference.

In the voice note, an ANC member is heard asking Zac whether service delivery issues, including the water shortage, were meant to destroy Morero and the municipality in a bid for him to lose the regional conference.

"Remember that thing of the water was a strategic move to summarise it," Zak replies, adding: "Once Loyiso emerges, we configure the mayoral committee with the short man [Morero]."

The ANC member then asks Zac whether ActionSA was part of those who didn't want Morero to be successful at the conference.

"We are part of that thing; we want to remove Dada. Our faction is clear, we are collapsing the short man, we are taking power from the short man," he says, adding that they are "playing with state power".

The ANC member asks Zac whether former ANC regional secretary Sasabona Manganye was part of those he is working with to sabotage the city.

"Sasa is Floyd Brink, direct. We are playing with state power."

According to Zac, his faction wanted Floyd Brink to return as the city manager.

In a score sheet, which the M&G, has seen, Brink is ahead of the 10 people the city had interviewed for the position.