Johannesburg - DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane visited residents of Tsakane in Brakpan, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday to show solidarity with those who have been without water for two weeks.
“We're here to show the community that what concerns them, concerns us,' he said.
Maimane, with around 25 Tsakane residents and Democratic Alliance members, danced, clapped and sang outside Tsakane Mall.
“Zuma thupa e etla (President Jacob Zuma, a whipping is coming),” they sang in Sotho.
The group walked through the taxi rank and mall parking collecting signatures for a petition that demands that various national government departments investigate the reasons for the widespread water outages.
The petition gained over 200 signatures on Saturday.
“It's a serious issue this water crisis in Gauteng,” Maimane said, adding that it was concerning because Gauteng was an economic hub.
“It's quite surprising that the premier here anticipated the water problem and did nothing about it.
“There was a report that said there was a water shortage looming due to wastage,” Maimane said.
Gauteng has been hit by a water shortage - allegedly due to a theft of electrical cables that are needed for the reservoirs to pump water. The shortage has affected parts of Ekurhuleni, the West Rand, Johannesburg and Tshwane.
On Saturday, Rand Water said that water should be restored to all parts of Gauteng within two weeks. However, it added that the meeting of this deadline could be compromised by possible power outages.
“Two weeks is a reasonable time for reservoirs to be stabilised,” spokesman Justice Mohale said.
“Two weeks should be sufficient if there are no unexpected power outages.”
Sapa