I want to share my premier-quality spring water‚ Zille tells legislature

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille says she would welcome Capetonians who want to share the water from the R92‚754 purifier at her official residence.

Zille was answering questions on Thursday in the provincial legislature‚ where ANC MPL Trudy Dijana asked if the premier was willing to share her new water source amid the drought and stringent water restrictions.

“As [the City of Cape Town] closes down fresh streams ... to the poor and public ahead of ‘day zero’‚ which is also threatening places like Beaufort West‚ Kannaland‚ Bitou and Knysna‚ will the honourable premier allow people to come and collect at Leeuwenhof some of the wonderfully purified water for their use?” said Dijana.

Her question followed the revelation a week earlier by public works MEC Donald Grant that his department had installed a water purifier to treat spring water at Leeuwenhof but was awaiting city council approval for the water to be used.

Zille told Dijana: “There is a water point at the gate from which water‚ as I understand‚ is currently being purified ... I will find out about the feasibility of people coming to that point and getting water from that.

“If it is feasible and if it is purified‚ personally I would feel very inclined to say yes.”

She said she had tried to share Leeuwenhof as much as she could with community organisations‚ including those helping the disabled and attempting to create jobs. In 2014‚ she allowed Oranjezicht City Farm to run its market at Leeuwenhof before it found a new home in Granger Bay.

Zille said she was not getting preferential treatment with the installation of the purifier. “If there is plentiful surface water‚ the benefit of harvesting it and using it for all purposes falls to the citizens of Cape Town who then have more municipal water that they can use‚” she said.

And when she left the official residence in Oranjezicht‚ she would not take the purifier with her.

“It’s going to stay in on Leeuwenhof‚ which is a property of public works‚ and will benefit all future people who will work and live there‚” said Zille.