Deputy Speaker, the constant protest actions by residents of Bushbuckridge are a clear indication that the delivery of services, especially that of water, have reached breaking point.
On Thursday, 25 February Lucas Lebyane, a 15-year-old boy, was fatally wounded and another was shot in the leg when protesters from Casteel village blockaded the R40 road with rocks and burning tyres, demanding that the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality provide them with water.
What is of great concern is that on the occasion of his state of the province address the premier, to loud applause, confidently told the people of Mpumalanga that the problem of the water supply to Bushbuckridge had been solved. The shooting and the killing of Lucas are in direct contradiction to what the premier told the people in his address on Friday. This once again demonstrates the extent of the ANC government's disconnection with the real state of affairs in the province.
I therefore wish to call on the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to intervene as a matter of urgency - to seek solutions and to put an end to these protest actions by ensuring that water is delivered to them.
I also call on the Minister responsible for the SA Police Service to launch a full-scale investigation into the use of live ammunition to disperse protesters. Thank you.
