18 Dec 2023
HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS Water provided by 50% of municipalities 'unsafe' IN LATE November, annoyed South Africans took to social media to rightly criticise President Cyril Ramaphosa's trip to rural Jozini, KwaZuluNatal for the launching of a tap. While the President's spin doctors tried to fix the fallout, citizens were not fooled. Many of those who commented pointed out the obvious. A country like South Africa should not be celebrating a community getting something as basic as a tap in their own home, let alone a communal one close to their homes, as was the occasion of Ramaphosa's visit. As though that was not embarrassing enough, Ramaphosa only sprinkled a few drops on his hands and did not drink water from the same tap the community of Jozini is now expected to drink from, gratefully and happily. Citizens on social media were correct to ask why the president did not drink the water if he was convinced that there are no questions over its safeness for human consumption.