‘This is embarrassing’ — reactions as Ramaphosa inaugurates water tap in South Africa

South Africans and some other social media users have expressed disappointment over the inauguration of a water tap by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa, on Sunday, launched a tap in Jozini local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal for the official opening of the Bhekindoda water scheme.

In a video making the rounds on social media, the president was surrounded by some officials and supporters. He engaged in a conversation with an elderly woman who turned on the tap to a cheer, after which Ramaphosa washed his hands with the gushing water.

[WATCH] President Cyril Ramaphosa is in Jozini local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal for the official opening of the Bhekindoda water scheme. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/lnGG3fBzKn

Advertisement

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) November 26, 2023

Reacting to the development, some South Africans argued that the launch of a water tap is the job of councilors and unbefitting of a president. Others said it is not a development worth celebrating.

There were also complaints as to why Ramaphosa did not take a drink but only washed his hands with the water, raising concerns on the potability of the water.

Residents of Jozini were said to have been without access to potable water for over a decade despite the presence of Pongolapoort Dam — popularly referred to as Jozini Dam — in the vicinity.

Speaking to journalists on the development, Ramaphosa said there are efforts in place to give access to water from the dam to all residents of the community, and not only white farmers and individuals.

“There is hope and our people are filled with hope and I have also been very pleased to see that work is being done that is impacting positively on the lives of our people,” Ramaphosa said.

“The story of the Jozini dam is one of the real terrible inequities of apartheid that such a really large dam, the fifth largest dam in the country, was put up by the apartheid government just to serve the commercial and individual interest of the few white people in this area to the total disregard of hundreds of thousands of black people who live here and they did not have access to this magnificent dam which we are now going to revamp and raise the wall so that it can carry up to 80 mega litres or so.”

Below are some reactions on X:

Cutting ribbons for TAPS in 2023! pic.twitter.com/T4IB7ijgv5

— Thabo Tshabalala (@Thabo_Tshaba) November 26, 2023

Advertisement

https://twitter.com/TheZingOne/status/1728744906930417723

https://twitter.com/TheGBrown1/status/1728792821014962332

this water scheme is for taps… wtf is this 👀 so that old lady needs to walk from her house to this tap and carry that water all the way back ??? is that what this water scheme is about?

Advertisement

— Kiki D (@KikiD5489) November 26, 2023

Other Presidents are celebrating opening of dams, ours is celebrating an opening a tap

— GoodFella (@Sbuda_MoLife) November 26, 2023

One tap, just one! And it is a news event?! They must be so proud

— hasan wadvalla 🇵🇸 (@hasanwadvalla) November 26, 2023

That only washed their hands why didn't they drink it to show ore indeed is a drinkable water?

— #VOTEEFF29MAY2024 (@Khuliso_Ratshi) November 26, 2023