BUNGLE: People’s Poet up in arms as search activated for the missing person of interest…

By Ali Mphaki

The incident took place almost two years ago when People’s Poet Mzwakhe Mbuli while sitting in his car outside the SABC studios in Auckland Park was woken from his reverie by a loud bang which shook him from his seat and sent his head hitting the roof of the vehicle.

Aother car had rammed into the driver’s side of his jalopy completely damaging the fender, side mirror and breaking the windscreen.

Unhurt but shaken it turned out the driver of the other vehicle is a Somalian national and in an instant scores of other Somalian foreign nationals were on the scene attempting to intimidate the People’s Poet who stood his ground until the arrival of law enforcement officers.

The Somalian, named Abdirant Abraham Qurane, was summarily arrested and taken to the Hillbrow police station, the police contingent being followed by a number of his foreign nationals.

Qurane was released the following day after being granted bail, and the case was subsequently dropped, without anyone informing the now furious People’s Poet.

Desperate to fight for justice Mbuli approached the Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority and the docket was re-instated as per the orders of head Advocate Andrew Chauke.

But since (2021), the matter has never been on the court roll and once more on Thursday this week Mbuli together with his lawyer approached the NPA’s senior prosecutor at the Johannesburg magistrate’s court Vincent Mochabela who quickly summoned the investigating officer known only as Walaza to his offices to come and give an update on the reckless and negligence driving case.

According to Mbuli, Walaza explained that the Somalian could not be found at the Mayfair,Johannesburg, house address he had furnished to the police.

Weekly SA Mirror approached Gauteng NPA’s spokesperson Phindy Mjonondwane to inquire why a foreign national was granted bail and why complainant Mbuli was not kept abreast of the developments in the matter.

The media inquiry sent to Mjonondwane on Thursday had not been responded to late Friday.

As a key partner in the criminal justice system, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) plays a critical role in ensuring that those who commit crime are charged and held responsible for their actions.

As the lawyers for the people, they are expected to our strategic focus is shaped by the need to deliver and serve justice, without fear or favour while ensuring public confidence in the criminal justice system.

Mbuli says his case had taken a puzzling turn but he will stop at nothing to achieve justice.

WATER CRISIS THREATENS TO ENGULF 7 MILLION CONSUMERS

SUPPLY: Fractured infrastructure and ‘non-revenue’ problem exacerbates the situation which has left hundreds stranded…

By Lehlohonolo Lehana

City of Johannesburg is battling a water crisis with some residents living for over a week with dry taps and forcing them to skip personal hygiene in an effort to conserve supplies.

Johannesburg Water said it was monitoring the situation and also indicated that an alternative water supply had been arranged for the affected customers and would be placed at strategic locations. Residents however said this had not been the case and remained in limbo on the location of the water tankers.

The utility previously blamed residents for consuming large amounts of water amid hot temperatures.

However experts have warned that as much as 60% of the water that is pumped into Johannesburg Water is lost through poor and failing infrastructure, which was part of the reason for the intermittent supply. 

“It is not the citizens that are at fault, it is the municipalities that are at fault, and they are now deflecting responsibility onto citizens, if the municipalities start to fix up the 60% of water that they are losing, they start billing for the water, and they start paying for the water, then Rand Water can do what it is meant to be doing.”

Water expert, Dr Anthony Turton, “We cannot blame the consumer for the plight that they find themselves in. It is simply untenable to do that, it indicates bankruptcy of clarity of thinking about the problem, so I reject that.”

On Tuesday, Rand Water suffered a major setback when its operations were disrupted by a severe thunderstorm, accompanied by strong winds, which damaged the power lines feeding the Zuikerbosch water treatment plant.

The power failure resulted in dry taps in Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.

A rise in temperatures and demand also added to Rand Water’s woes.

Rand Water CEO Sipho Mosai said the entity did anticipate a total collapse of the water systems and was hard at work in a bid to mitigate against any potential collapse.

“There is plenty of water, we supply close to 7 million consumers in the municipalities through the bulk reservoirs that we have…”

When probed on the challenges, Mosai echoed views of water experts that the bulk of water being lost was due to leaks and non-revenue.

“It is an open secret that in the distribution space and in municipalities about 60% of the water we supply is lost through non-revenue water and through leaks and really puts pressure on the system and that is why you have pockets of suburbs in certain areas without water,” said Mosai.

“A storm is a short-term shock to the system. The fact is that Rand Water is pumping to the limit of its capacity, that is a long-term effect. It has taken 20 years to get to that point,” said Turton.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng meanwhile launched a petition on Friday, seeking support for the ousting of Mosai.

DA spokesperson Solly Msimanga said Mosai was not fit to head the water utility.

“Rand Water has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gauteng and they should be held accountable for it. Therefore, the DA calls on the CEO of Rand Water to do the honourable thing and resign. Failing which, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, should fire the CEO.

“Rand Water fails to communicate with municipalities and the residents of Gauteng about the water shortage that they have caused and conveniently points fingers at municipalities when they are indeed to blame. This can no longer be tolerated and it is time that Rand Water is held to account for its failure and human rights abuse”.

“The DA will now launch a petition calling for the firing of the Rand Water CEO as he is clearly not fit to lead such an important entity that affects millions of lives. We can no longer sit idly by and watch as millions of residents of Gauteng have their human right to access to water being trampled on”. www.fullview.co.za