ActionSA has accused the Democratic Alliance (DA) of grandstanding when handed over two memoranda of demands to the City of Johannesburg on Wednesday calling for the dissolution of the board of Johannesburg Water.

ActionSA claimed the DA was using the difficulties experienced by City of Johannesburg (CoJ) residents for “their own narrow political self-interest”.

The DA led a protest outside the Joburg Municipal Council on behalf of residents struggling against unreliable water supply in the city.

“ActionSA acknowledges the right to protest as enshrined in our Constitution, however, such a right comes with responsibilities and cannot be abused willy-nilly as displayed by the DA outside the City of Johannesburg Council and inside the Chambers,” said ActionSA CoJ chief whip Zark Lebatlang.

Lebatlang noted the city’s water crisis, which he said had been acknowledged by all spheres of government, however, he believed the DA had decided to use the issue as “cynical point-scoring”.

“It is worth noting that the DA has a direct line to the Speaker of Council and the City of Johannesburg mayor, yet they opted to grandstand at the expense of the more than 6-million residents that have entrusted them with their votes,” he said.

He highlighted that when the DA had an opportunity to fix the City of Johannesburg, it collapsed the multi-party government in the City and handed over power to the African National Congress–Economic Freedom Fighters-led government.

“The water crisis that is being experienced by the residents of Johannesburg must be blamed squarely on the DA,” Lebatlang said.

ActionSA commended Speaker of Council Nobuhle Mthembu, for her “impartiality and objectivity” in the matter.