Letters | Living in cuckoo land

The past week has seen some of our provincial premiers taking up as much TV exposure time as the national broadcaster would offer them, supposedly to present a state of the province update; but what these boring addresses really were about was the upcoming municipal elections. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi identified that the chronic water delivery shortages throughout Gauteng, particularly in Johannesburg, would cost his party [ANC] dearly in the next election. Hence the unrealistic promises of fixing the water supply problems as a matter of urgency.

It can’t and won’t happen because there is no money in the coffers of either the Gauteng provincial government, Johannesburg and Tshwane metros or central government and, secondly, you cannot fix 30 years of total neglect overnight. Premier Lesufi was a bit shy on discussing the state of the provincial health department that has been brought to its knees by managerial incompetency and corruption that knows no bounds. In KZN, Premier Ntuli was upbeat about the province’s future, stressing the importance of the agricultural sector in the economics of the province.

The fact that the sugar industry on the north coast could possibly collapse due to happenings at Tongaat Hulett and finding a solution to this problem was of no apparent significance to the premier. The fact that our cattle industry in KZN is facing the full front of the foot-and mouth outbreak also does not appear to be of prime importance. Is he concerned about the continuing problem of E.

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coli threatening health hazards on Durban beaches due to poor or non-functioning waste water treatment plants? This is the centre of our tourism industry? KZN is entirely reliant on the Umgeni River for its water supply.

When will the next bulk water storage dam be built? Probably only after the next severe drought, if there is any money still around. The ANC is so keen to bring in NHI; provincial health services have collapsed and cannot recover without a massive injection of finances which central government doesn’t have. Provincial premiers live in cuckoo land.

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