{"id":51589,"date":"2026-03-04T08:41:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T08:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=51589"},"modified":"2026-03-04T08:41:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T08:41:58","slug":"my-crush-no-ways-lesufi-responds-to-zille-swipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/03\/04\/my-crush-no-ways-lesufi-responds-to-zille-swipe\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;My crush? No ways&#8217;: Lesufi responds to Zille swipe"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p><h2>Beyond the political theatre, the back-and-forth highlights a genuine crisis. Water shortages remain a serious concern across Gauteng.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken aim at Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi over his controversial hotel shower remarks, unveiling a provocative billboard during a campaign media briefing in Pretoria. The back-and-forth that followed has set social media alight.<\/p>\n<p>The DA drew first blood on Tuesday, launching a bold campaign billboard in Mamelodi, Pretoria, that depicts Lesufi showering fully clothed, complete with a white shirt and tie. <\/p>\n<p>The stunt was aimed squarely at Lesufi\u2019s now-infamous admission that water shortages had forced him to shower at a hotel.<\/p>\n<p>The billboard\u2019s message was blunt, stating \u201cthe ANC showers in hotels\u201d and urging voters to choose the DA if they want water restored to their taps.<\/p>\n<p>The DA used the moment to position itself as the party with a credible solution to South Africa\u2019s water infrastructure crisis. The party claimed to have \u201ca master infrastructure plan on how to fix South Africa\u2019s ongoing water issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udca7 Gauteng residents deserve water 24\/7! Not Panyaza <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Lesufi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@Lesufi<\/a> and his hotel showers.<\/p>\n<p>Without water:<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcc9 Businesses close<br \/>\u274c Jobs are lost<br \/>\ud83c\udfeb Schools and clinics can\u2019t function<br \/>\ud83d\ude37 Communities face health risks<\/p>\n<p>Water income must ONLY fix broken infrastructure and not fund crooks. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qcWCImOEJG\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/qcWCImOEJG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Our_DA\/status\/2028884794382454866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">March 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>ALSO READ: DA billboard mocks Lesufi\u2019s \u2018hotel shower\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The billboard references a statement Lesufi made in February while addressing residents frustrated by Gauteng\u2019s ongoing water shortages.<\/p>\n<p>In what appeared to be an attempt to show solidarity with affected communities, the premier revealed that he, too, had been impacted and had resorted to showering at a hotel.<\/p>\n<p>The comment landed badly with the public and triggered widespread backlash, with many accusing Lesufi of being out of touch with ordinary South Africans who cannot afford hotel stays when their taps run dry. <\/p>\n<p>Lesufi subsequently apologised, saying his statement had been taken out of context.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lesufi-fires-back-and-the-da-returns-serve\">Lesufi fires back, and the DA returns serve<\/h3>\n<p>Rather than staying silent, Lesufi responded to the billboard by posting a picture online, a move that prompted the DA to immediately question whether he was \u201ctweeting from the hotel\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The image attached to Lesufi\u2019s response declared support for the premier and accused the DA of obsessing over him. <\/p>\n<p>The graphic, styled as a breaking news bulletin, read: \u201cStop obsessing over Panyaza \u2013 we know he\u2019s your crush, Gogo.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>It listed Lesufi\u2019s \u201cachievements\u201d, including electricity delivery, housing, and advocacy for community programmes, before signing off with: \u201cRacist DA must fall.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lesufi captioned the tweet  \u201cMy crush? No ways\u201d, a pointed and personal response to the political jousting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ALSO READ: Lesufi\u2019s hotel shower comment will be damaging for the ANC<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-netizens-respond\">Netizens respond<\/h3>\n<p>Netizens responded with mixed reactions to Lesufi\u2019s comeback. One tweeted, \u201cThis comeback is weaker than GNU\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Another one came in support of Lesufi\u2019s response, giving him advice to \u201cfill the gap\u201d. @OpinionRumos further advised the premier to \u201cErect a counter billboard with her and the following message: \u2018Do not vote for those who enjoy beer during the struggle for equality\u201d.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The crush is stated the otherway round, as opposed to how you state it. The image says \u201cyou are her crush..\u201d , not the other way round <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UV3Ydi6PXi\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/UV3Ydi6PXi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 ZARWorker (@vote_checker) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/vote_checker\/status\/2028936424049762433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">March 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Eish! Weak comeback, Panyaza. To top it off, it\u2019s a Heineken Zero in hand. We\u2019ll never let that comment go!<\/p>\n<p>While Gauteng suffers from your mismanagement, you\u2019re living in luxury. Hope you\u2019re ashamed, but I doubt it. You couldn\u2019t care less.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Hoodlum (@Hoodlum_ZA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Hoodlum_ZA\/status\/2029023199300628539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">March 4, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-water-crisis-remains-the-real-issue-on-the-campaign-trail\">Water crisis remains the real issue on the campaign trail<\/h3>\n<p>Beyond the political theatre, the back-and-forth highlights a genuine crisis. Water shortages remain a serious concern across Gauteng, especially in parts of Johannesburg and Pretoria, where residents are still struggling with water.<\/p>\n<p>The DA argued that the root cause lies in decades of neglect, stating that \u201csuccessive governments have not solved those issues\u201d and that the infrastructure challenges are long-standing. Their campaign is positioning water delivery as a central election issue.<\/p>\n<p>Whether the billboard will move votes or simply generate headlines remains to be seen. <\/p>\n<p>What is clear is that water, long a flashpoint in South African politics, has become one of the sharpest weapons on the 2026 campaign trail.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: DA blames Lesufi for taps running dry but has party member serving as deputy water minister<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p>Add The Citizen as a Preferred Source on Google and follow us on Google News to see more of our trusted reporting in Google News and Top Stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#crush #ways #Lesufi #responds #Zille #swipe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Beyond the political theatre, the back-and-forth highlights a genuine crisis. Water shortages remain a serious concern across Gauteng. The Democratic&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51589"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51591,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51589\/revisions\/51591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}