CT starts free water delivery
2001-05-02 17:24
Cape Town - The Cape Town unicity was the first unicity in the country to deliver 6000 litres of water free to every household every month, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said on Wednesday.
Speaking in Lavender Hill near Cape Town, at the launch of a "Turning on the tap" ceremony, he said the unicity was aware there
was no such thing as free water or electricity.
"Someone has to pay for it. In this case, the middle classes of Cape Town will have to subsidise this benefit by paying more for
extra water consumption," Leon said.
He said all households would receive enough water for their basic needs of drinking, cooking and washing.
"Those who use more will have to pay more. This will encourage people to save water, as the bulk of Cape Town's water, 35 percent, is used for gardening," Leon said.
He said there would be no water tariff increase until July.
The unicity would bear the cost of the first two months of free water provision.
Leon emphasised that all domestic users - whether or not they had paid their accounts - will receive 6kl of free water. However
those who were not up to date with their accounts would still be
liable for arrears.
"When will the African National Congress keep its election promise to provide free basic water, in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth,
Tshwane or any other megacity?" Leon asked.
Leon said the DA would supply 20kwh of free electricity to
council-served households in Cape Town from July 1, and was
negotiating with Eskom to supply the same benefit to the households
it serves.
Other improvements included municipal police officers on Cape Town's streets by November this year. It would roll out the
provision of free anti-retroviral drugs, HIV testing and
counselling to 72 local clinics and hospitals in the Western Cape
by the end of the year. - Sapa
- SAPA