Summary
This letter is a vehement and passionate appeal to the ANC-run local municipalities in KwaZulu Natal, particularly addressing the severe water crisis in towns like Verulam. It contrasts the dire situation of these South African communities with conflict-affected areas like Gaza and Ukraine, where, despite profound challenges, efforts to provide water persist. The letter criticizes the local government's failure to ensure access to this basic human necessity, framing it as a neglect of duty and a violation of human rights. It calls for immediate, transparent, and effective action to address the water shortage, emphasizing the urgency of the crisis and the local leadership's responsibility to their constituents. The tone is scathing, filled with disappointment and hope, demanding accountability and a commitment to rectify the profound injustices faced by the affected communities.
23 January 2023
To the Leadership of the ANC-Run Local Municipalities in KwaZulu Natal,
I write this letter not merely as a critique but as an outcry from the depths of despair and indignation felt by the citizens of Verulam, Phoenix and other towns in KwaZulu Natal, who have been subjected to an intolerable existence due to your abject failure to provide the most fundamental of human needs: water. For nearly three months, these communities have been left to languish in conditions that are not only unacceptable but are indicative of a profound neglect by those sworn to serve them.
The stark reality that faces the people in these areas is one of desperation and abandonment. In a world where humanity can send probes to distant planets and unlock the secrets of our genome, the fact that you have allowed something as basic as water provision to collapse is a damning indictment of your governance. It is an unforgivable oversight that speaks volumes of a leadership more absorbed in political machinations than the plight of its people.
Let us draw a parallel with regions engulfed in conflict and instability, such as Gaza, Palestine, and war-torn areas of Ukraine. Despite their circumstances, marked by violence and destruction, efforts are made relentlessly to ensure that civilians have access to life-sustaining water. This stark contrast serves to illuminate the depth of your failure. It is a sobering reminder that the crisis at hand is not a result of unavoidable calamity but rather a testament to ineptitude and a lack of will to prioritize the well-being of your constituents.
Your negligence has relegated the people of KwaZulu Natal to a state of emergency, where daily life has become a struggle for survival. The water crisis has not only stripped them of dignity but has also exposed them to health risks and economic hardship, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable among us—children, the elderly, and the sick—who are now at the mercy of a preventable disaster.
It is unconscionable that in the face of such adversity, your response has been characterized by apathy and inaction. The pleas for help, the protests in the streets, and the tears of your people have fallen on deaf ears. Your failure to act decisively and compassionately has eroded the trust in your ability to govern and to safeguard the rights of the citizens you serve.
This letter is, therefore, not just a call to action but a condemnation of your failure to fulfill the most basic obligations of your office. It is a demand for immediate, sustained, and transparent efforts to rectify this grave injustice. No longer can the excuses of bureaucracy, budget constraints, or challenges in infrastructure be accepted as reasons for this crisis. The time for passing the buck must end, and the time for tangible solutions must begin.
The citizens of Verulam and the wider KwaZulu Natal region deserve leadership that is proactive, that prioritizes their needs above all else, and that recognizes the sanctity of access to clean water. They deserve more than just temporary fixes or hollow promises; they deserve a commitment to overhaul the systemic failures that led to this crisis and to ensure that such a calamity is never repeated.
Let this letter serve not only as a record of your failures but as a catalyst for change. The eyes of the nation and the world are upon you, watching to see if you will rise to meet this challenge or if you will continue to let your people suffer needlessly. The choice is yours, but remember—the legacy of your tenure will be defined by your actions in this moment of crisis.
With every drop of water that remains undelivered, your legacy of failure is cemented further. It is time to rewrite that legacy. It is time to act, not tomorrow, but today. For every moment you delay, the suffering deepens, and the cries for justice grow louder.
Sincerely,
Jitesh Jairam, CFP(r) – a voice for the voiceless
PS. My aged parents live in the affected area, so do the parents and families of many highly influential people who are children of Verulam’s soil. Enough is enough!