Zille takes charge as Cape Town approaches 'Day Zero' water disaster
'While we must still do everything possible to prevent this ghastly eventuality‚ my focus has shifted to overseeing plans for the day the taps run dry – and the weeks that follow'
Helen Zille is sailing into action as Day Zero looms — and says the challenge is greater than World War 2 or the aftermath of 9/11 in New York City. The Western Cape premier said on Monday she was stepping in to manage the impending disaster of Day Zero. In her weekly column on Daily Maverick‚ Zille said the need to intervene became clear when Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille announced on Thursday that the city was now likely to run out of water. “As the mayor’s press conference was under way‚ I called in the province’s head of legal services and said: ‘The crash the city has been trying to avoid now seems inevitable. We are bracing for impact. Sticking to the province’s constitutional mandate of support and oversight is not enough in these circumstances.’ “As we begin the countdown to Day Zero‚ the ground has shifted. While we must still do everything possible to prevent this ghastly eventuality [and we still can if everybody abides by the new water restrictions of 50 litres per p...
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