Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says the situation with the Justice Minister is top of mind for President Cyril Ramaphosa. He was briefing the media in Parliament on the president’s upcoming programme and other matters of importance.
Magwenya says the leakage of untreated sewage into water at the Mogale City Local Municipality has caused grave concern for the president.
Magwenya says the recent media reports of water pollution in Mogale City has been verified as broadly accurate by the Department of Water and Sanitation.
“The president was also informed that since 2019 the department has issued a series of notices and directives to the municipality into the National Water Act to rectify the sewage pollution, but this directives have not been adhered to which has led the department to lay criminal charges against the municipality in August of 2023. The department is also assisting the police to investigate the charges and to compile a case docket,” says Magwenya.
The sewage leakage poses a risk to human health, agriculture and economic activity in the municipal area which hosts Unesco World Heritage Site, the Cradle of Humankind.
“To this end, the president has written to Premier Panyaza Lesufi requesting him to engage with the municipality in line with section 139 of the constitution. The president has urged the premier to work with the municipality in ensuring that all measures are taken to urgently address the situation,” he adds.
But it should not end there.
“The president wants the situation addressed as a matter of urgency and at the end of the process, wants those responsible for such a state of decline to be held accountable,” he says.
Regarding the Justice Minister, Magwenya says the president is applying his mind.
“I’m not suggesting that the president is waiting for evidence of instability in the department before he acts, matter is top of mind. He is processing it, he’s thinking it through and in so saying, I’m just appealing for patience, that let’s give the president the time he needs to deal with the matter… you know, he’s going to deal with the matter quite soon we will know which direction he’s going to take on the matter,” says Magwenya.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to answer questions in Parliament at 2 o’clock on Thursday, where MPs will press him for answers on Justice Minister Thembi Simelane.
She received a loan from the now defunct VBS mutual Bank during her tenure as mayor of Polokwane.
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