AFM News
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government is working hard to address the myriad of challenges facing the country, from the energy crisis to looming Day Zero in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The President was in NMB Metro on Monday to commemorate International Nelson Mandela Day, which is commemorated on 18 July around the world.
The President was accompanied on his day-long visit to the Metro by Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane as well as Executive Mayor, Eugene Johnson.
Ramaphosa began his whistle-stop visit with an oversight inspection at the Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Works near Addo, which will be augmenting the water supply to the City from the Gariep Dam.
"I was very impressed with the work that they are doing in terms of pushing back Day Zero and making sure that they campaign amongst the people to conserve water, stop the leaks and make sure that we do add to the water resources in the Metro."
President Ramaphosa said that the work being done to push back Day Zero was impactful, "and I do believe that we will continue to push back Day Zero, up to the point where we will no longer really need to talk about water shortages."
"Off-course the drought that persisted for seven years has made things worse, and climate change is having an adverse effect on the province," Ramaphosa said.
He later donned overalls to help with the cleanup of a riverbed in Veeplaas.
Speaking to the media afterward, President Ramaphosa called on South Africans to "re-dedicate" themselves to the values that Nelson Mandela stood for.
"This is when we need to internalise the type of work that he did and re-dedicate ourselves to working for a South Africa that Mandela wanted to see."
The President also acknowledged the crises facing the country, promising that the government was working hard to address them.
"Yes, we are currently engulfed by a number of challenges, some of them are security-related and the police are now taking action against a number of pockets of people who are doing wrong things. Be it at Eskom, be it killing people at taverns, all that is now being attended to quite strongly and firmly," he said.
"We can say to South Africans that the things that are happening now that are causing people anger, that is causing people anxiety are going to be addressed and they are being addressed as we speak. From energy to criminality, all those matters are being addressed and I hope that we will be able to restore the fabric of this nation," Ramaphosa said.
