The Democratic Alliance has unveiled its billboard campaign for Helen Zille as Joburg’s next mayor, centred on water shortages. In it, the party trolls Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who apologised for his out-of-touch comments.
HELEN ZILLE BILLBOARD TARGETS PANYAZA LESUFI
On her social media account, Helen Zille posted images of the DA’s new billboard about her bid to run for mayor of Joburg.
Located in East Lynne, Pretoria, the billboard featured an AI-generated image of Panyaza Lesufi, scratching his head while under a shower.
It featured the tagline: “The ANC showers in hotels while you have no water”.
It added: “Vote DA to put water in your taps.”
Helen unapologetically tagged Lesufi in her tweet, accompanied by a shower-head emoji, who has yet to respond.
HELEN ZILLE, DA PROMISES WATER FOR ALL JOBURG RESIDENTS
With Helen Zille poised to take over the helm of Johannesburg, the DA has outlined its plans to tackle the city’s water shortages.
This includes the following proposal:
- Protect and mend faulty infrastructure
- Ring-fencing water revenue
- Tackling city corruption through forensic audits and improving accountability via transparency
- Prioritising service delivery
“My vision for Joburg is an inclusive city for all, in which reliable services are delivered by an excellent government that cares for all the people”, Helen Zille told Business Day.
WHAT DID GAUTENG PREMIER SAY?
During a media briefing last month, Payaza Lesufi angered many residents after claiming that he and his family were also affected by the water shortages.
The Gauteng Premier said: “People think that when there is no water, we and our families have special water. We don’t. We also go through the same. In some instances, I had to go to a certain hotel so that I could bathe and go to my commitments.”
“We also go through the same inconveniences as any other person”.
Lesufi’s comments were labelled as “tone deaf”, by the likes of the DA and Helen Zille, given the daily struggles of South Africans who do not have money or access to the Premier’s privileges.
Lesufi posted a public apology, written by the Gauteng provincial government, claiming it was a “misunderstanding”, which he now “regrets”.
Last week, Panyaza Lesufi announced plans to implement a R760 million water infrastructure upgrade.
The premier claimed an explosion at a Rand Water plant in January disrupted supply, which was caused by infrastructure failures, leaks, and high-demand peak.s