Empty buckets, feaces and a honeysucker truck for Lesufi’s G20 Summit

Amid ongoing and persistent water challenges and other service delivery issues plaguing the township of Kokosi and Fochville, the members of the Fochville Water Crisis Committee have vowed to show equal disdain to Panyaza Lesufi and his G20 Summit cronies.

In September, these residents brought the area to a standstill and protested on the N12 over ongoing water challenges in the area.

Their outcry came just as the Merafong Municipality revealed that it was struggling to negotiate better terms with Rand Water amid a R1.4 billion water debt, citing non-payment of water services and other challenges as the biggest problem.

Since then, these residents have called on their mayor, Nozuko Best and other officials to resign as they had failed in their duties to provide service delivery to the residents.

Now, having tried to engage the mayor and other stakeholders, these residents have cast their sights on the upcoming G20 Leaders Summit as they plan to disrupt the summit and picket outside the Nasrec Conference Centre with faeces and empty buckets, as a symbol of their pain.

This threat comes just days after Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi promised to visit the community of Kokosi, which has been plagued by water challenges. The members of the Fochville Crisis Committee have vowed to disrupt the upcoming G20 Summit later this month.

On Tuesday, while addressing the province’s state of readiness for the G20 Leaders Summit, taking place at the Nasrec Expo Centre on November 22 and 23, Lesufi announced his plans to visit Kokosi township amid water challenges that have been ongoing for over three months now.

Lesufi indicated that work is being done to ensure all the communities that have been suffering under the strain of widespread water challenges are receiving attention from his administration.

“I have not been to Kokosi, but I intend to visit this community and hear from them about their water challenges. We are aware of the challenges that they are facing. In terms of Kokosi and Selby, just around here, we are working together with all the municipalities to resolve this issue,” he said.

Speaking to the South African Daily, leader of the Fochville Crisis Committee, Elliot Mtembu, said they have yet to hear from the Premier on his intention to visit the township.

“We have not heard from the Premier, and nothing has been said to us about his visit. We feel vindicated by the recent announcement made by Panyaza Lesufi that there will be no water and electricity shortages in Johannesburg during the G20 summit. This reassurance confirms what we have been saying all along: that the water crisis in Merafong is self-made and designed to benefit certain individuals rather than serve the community’s interests,” Mtembu said.

However, Mtembu said this will not stop them from demonstrating at the upcoming G20 Summit.

“Lesufi’s promise to visit Kokosi is neither here nor there. We know for a fact that he has never taken us seriously; to him, we are like the unwanted stepchild of Gauteng. Our view remains that both Panyaza Lesufi and the entire Gauteng Provincial Government are fully aware of the dire plight of Merafong - a crisis deliberately created by ANC deployments,” said Mtembu.

When it comes to the possible solution that could arise from Lesufi’s visit, Mtembu said they are not convinced that Lesufi's intended visit will yield any results, adding that time for talking is long gone.

“We have very little, if any, confidence that Lesufi’s visit will bring about meaningful change. What Merafong truly needs is accountability—specifically, for the ANC leadership. We remain resolute in our plan to meet Panyaza at the G20. We will be taking the community to the G20 summit with empty buckets to demonstrate our ongoing struggle for basic services. If possible, we will even bring a honeysucker truck filled with faeces as a symbolic protest," he stated.