‘I’m sorry’ – Lesufi apologises to Joburg residents over hotel shower suggestion

Lesufi

Johannesburg – Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has apologised to Johannesburg residents after suggesting they shower at hotels due to ongoing water shortages.

“People think that if there is no water, ourselves, our families have got special water – we don’t. We also go through [the same inconveniences]. I mean in some instances I had to go to a certain hotel so that I bath to go to my commitments. We also go through the same inconveniences like any other person,” Lesufi said during a media briefing on Wednesday.

“There is no special water or a special pipe that is designed to serve other people and nor servie other people. Our families, our relatives, ourselves, our constituents – they suffer the same pain. We don’t have water when communities don’t have water. But what we need to do – we have got a responsibility to fix the problem.”

His comments sparked outrage on social media, with many highlighting that they cannot afford such alternatives.

Recognising that his comments were insensitive, Lesufi subsequently issued an apology to residents.

“Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, wishes to sincerely apologise for any misunderstanding or offence caused by a statement he made while clarifying comments during a media briefing addressing water challenges in the province,” his spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, said.

“The Premier acknowledges that his statement, in which he made reference to a hotel, may have been interpreted in a manner that suggested that the impact of water challenges differs based on one’s position in society. This was never his intention.”

Residents protested in several suburbs, frustrated by water outages lasting nearly 25 days.

Lesufi assured that resolving water shortages is a top government priority.

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