Finance minister Malusi Gigaba is giving Cape Town the silent treatment on its water crisis‚ says mayor Patricia de Lille. De Lille told a council meeting on Thursday that Gigaba had not replied to a request she sent two months ago for permission to table an adjustment budget to fund alternative water sources. The city council wants to introduce desalination‚ water re-use and groundwater abstraction as alternative sources of drinking water amid the worst drought on record. To fund the projects‚ it says it needs to adjust its budget but cannot do so without the go-ahead from Gigaba‚ who did not refer to the drought in his medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) on Wednesday. "My request has not been responded to by the minister, except for officials in Treasury asking for clarity‚ which we gave‚ and in the past two months there have been numerous follow-ups to the minister’s office and an appeal to the Presidency‚" said De Lille.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.