After DA leader Mmusi Maimane’s announcement on Wednesday that Cape Town had been saved from Day Zero‚ you might have thought citizens would be celebrating. But far from it.

Members of the 157‚000-strong Water Shedding Western Cape Facebook group are frothing at the mouth over what they see as DA duplicity.

After the DA removed mayor Patricia de Lille from her role managing the drought crisis‚ Maimane stepped in on January 24‚ and just six weeks later announced that Day Zero had been defeated.

In the meantime water tariffs were sharply increased‚ leaving residents sceptical. Commenting on the Facebok page‚ Kaydin Davids said: “Only a politician can make an announcement that Day Zero will not happen in 2018 and receive applause from his colleagues and supporters. What an irresponsible and premature announcement.

“We are only in March 2018 with no guarantee of normal winter rains. And as a reward‚ Cape Town‚ for saving all that water (700 million litres per day)‚ you are being punished with a 500% increase in your water bill. Well done‚ City of Cape Town.”

Emma Brown ageed Maimane’s announcement was premature and irresponsible. “Water wasters will see this as a ‘go ahead as usual’. But we still need to save water with everything we’ve got‚ regardless of whether some numbnut cancelled Day Zero.

“We remain in trouble and cannot at all be nonchalant about the issue. We are not out of the woods.”

Other comments on the Facebook page included:

Cassandra Damon: “Pure political PR. We can do something to keep water usage in check‚ but if it does not rain we’re still screwed. They just want to ‘wash their hands’ (excuse the pun) of any responsibility.”

James Healey: “Seems the DA are claiming to have saved us from running out of water. Why don’t Maimane and the DA apologise for the lack of foresight over their years in power?”

Serene Salie: “I’m so over the politicking with very real issues affecting people’s livelihoods. Trust that people will see right through the cheap shots being thrown around.”

Gavin Meier: “Manufactured crisis for political and financial gain of those in power.”

It wasn’t all negative though. Ian Robinson said: “It’s easy to stand on the sidelines and criticise after the fact. The objective to get more citizens to reduce water consumption in order to avoid a Day Zero can only be achieved by hitting the consumer in the pocket.

“That’s the only way to change people’s behaviour. It worked‚ didn’t it? Weather patterns and drought have nothing to do with the DA. This water problem has been known about since the old NP were in charge. It won’t help us to blame them or the DA or the ANC or Freddie Kruger.”