No Day Zero in 2018, says Maimane
IN his boldest statement on the water crisis yet, DA leader Mmusi Maimane said Day Zero would not hit Cape Town this year, if there was decent rainfall.
However, if there was no rainfall the dreaded day may come on August 27.
Making the announcement at the party’s Cape Town headquarters, Maimane said that less than two months ago, the City of Cape Town was in a dire position.
He said should consumption levels remain low and the city receive decent rainfall, Day Zero would be staved off this year.
He led the DefeatDayZero campaign following the City of Cape Town caucus resolution to strip mayor Patricia de Lille of any water project responsibility.
Janse Rabie, head of natural resources at Agri SA, said: “While it clearly had the effect of focusing ordinary Capetonians’ attention on the severity of the prevailing drought, the use of the Day Zero scenario may also inadvertently have created its own unforeseen water management crisis. Panicked people (who could afford to do so) began buying and stockpiling both raw and treated water in anticipation of Day Zero.
“This disruption of normal consumption patterns created enormous difficulties for city water planners as well as the Department of Water and Sanitation.
“The City’s use of the Day Zero scenario had previously been questioned by various water-sector role players.”