LETTER | Lesufi’s gaffe an insult

There are moments in politics when a single statement captures the full distance between the government and the governed. Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi’s remarks to residents of Johannesburg that he simply goes to a hotel to bathe when there is no water is one example. For communities that have gone days without running water, that statement is not just tone-deaf; it is insulting.

Across Johannesburg, families have been forced to wake up at dawn to queue for water tankers. Elderly residents carry buckets. Mothers ration what little water they can store for cooking and basic hygiene.

Small businesses suffer losses. Schools struggle to function. Hospitals and clinics operate under pressure.

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Water is not a luxury but a constitutional right and a basic human necessity. Leadership, especially in a crisis, demands empathy and accountability. It demands urgency.

It demands that those in power feel the discomfort of the people they serve, not escape it. The water crisis in Johannesburg did not fall from the sky. It is the result of years of infrastructure neglect, poor planning, cadre deployment, financial mismanagement and political instability. – Thulani Dasa

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