New Joburg mayor Dada Morero ‘looking into’ water-supply challenge

ANC councillor Dada Morero, who was sworn in as the executive mayor of Johannesburg after the DA’s Mpho Phalatse was removed through a motion of no confidence, says he has hit the ground running by trying to address the metro’s water-supply challenges experienced in various parts of the city.

The western and southern parts of the metro are the hardest hit by the restrictions due to bulk water supplier Rand Water experiencing increased demand of the precious resource.

The water restrictions come as the SA Weather Service (SAWS) issued a warning on Tuesday that extremely hot and dry conditions continue to prevail over large parts of the highveld with temperatures in the high 30s.

Morero told Business Day on Wednesday that after his swearing-in on Saturday, “I assumed my mayoral responsibilities. Today [Wednesday], I commenced with the first task of looking into the water-supply challenge by inviting the CEO of Joburg Water to provide a report about the water-supply challenges that are being experienced by western and southern parts of the city”.

Rand Water is crucial to the economy as it supplies the Gauteng metros of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and capital city Tshwane, local municipalities, mines and other industries, as well as parts of Mpumalanga, North West and the Free State with an average of 3.653-million litres of potable water daily.

‘Constrained systems’

Joburg Water said it received notification that Rand Water would implement water restrictions due to demand outstripping supply after its storage decreased from 52% to 38%.

“The bulk supplier will restrict high-demand customer metres in various parts of the city ... the outcome is to reduce the current high consumption and restore capacity levels back to 60%,” Joburg Water spokesperson Puleng Mopeli said.

Areas affected by the water restrictions — which prohibit the filling of swimming pools with municipal water — include Glenvista, Winchester Hills, Diepkloof, Discovery, Braamfischerville and Chiawelo, among others.

Rand Water has requested customers reduce water consumption, “as this will assist with recovering constrained systems”. It said its systems including the Naturena, Honeydew, Alan Manor, Glenvista and Alexander Park reservoirs were “highly impacted”, with some of the reservoirs at “critically low to empty levels”.

Morero said he would be doing a “loco-inspection to these reservoirs” on Thursday morning.

Joburg Water is among 13 entities of the city, which has a population of about 6-million, a budget of R77.3bn for the 2022/2023 financial year and contributes about 15.6% to SA’s national GDP.

Morero seemed unperturbed by Phalatse’s court bid to challenge what she described as her “illegal” removal, saying: “I have taken note of the application by DA councillor Mpho Phalatse. I am certain that the speaker of the City of Johannesburg [Colleen Makhubele] will be responding to the application.”

Phalatse approached the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday for an application to nullify her ousting, and to declare unlawful and unconstitutional and review and set aside Morero’s election as mayor, including decisions taken during his stint as executive mayor.

In the court papers, Phalatse argued that the programming committee was not quorate when the decision to place the motion of no confidence on the agenda was taken. “There needed to be at least seven members for a quorum, yet only six were present.”

Phalatse argued in the court papers that Makhubele — who she wants the court to direct to pay the cost of the application in her personal capacity — unlawfully refused to grant the DA a caucus break to which it was entitled under the council’s rules, and did not allow any debate on the motion of no confidence during the sitting on Friday.

She said Morero’s election was unlawful “for the simple reason that there was no lawful vacancy. The decision to remove me as executive mayor was illegal, and therefore there was no vacancy for Morero to fill”.

mkentanel@businesslive.co.za