Cape Town — The Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, has warned that his ministry is not interested in "petty politics" regarding issues of water cuts and service delivery.

Responding to questions raised in the National Council of Provinces yesterday, Shiceka said he had formed a ministerial task team to investigate claims that the City of Cape Town was cutting water supplies to some areas.

The investigation follows the controversy that erupted after a visit by Shiceka and MP Marius Fransman to the Mitchell's Village low-cost development last month.

Residents claimed their water had been cut off and that they had experienced problems with high water bills since water meters had been installed.

Premier Helen Zille hit back, claiming that local ANC officials had urged residents to fake water cuts ahead of the minister's visit. She called an SMS announcement of the investigation this week a "fishing expedition".

Shiceka told the NCOP that during his Cape tour he had also visited Cite C in Khayelitsha where he had found about 5 000 people without proper sanitation.

"I have seen the propaganda in the media and claims made by the Western Cape premier that the ANC arranged faked water cut-offs," he said.

"The task team will also probe the validity and truthfulness of these allegations."

Meanwhile, the convener of the task team, Jazze Mokoena, told the Cape Argus that they would issue letters this week to inform role players and interested parties that the task team would be having an open session in Parliament next week.

"Individuals and interested parties will then be allowed to make representations to the task team," he said. "We have been meeting over the past few weeks, but the real work starts next week."

Zille has meanwhile appealed to President Jacob Zuma in a letter to intervene in what she called the disingenuous and selective targeting of the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape by ministers and their officials.

"May I request that you please insist that cabinet ministers draw a distinction between the party and the state, and deal objectively with their portfolios?" wrote Zille.

"If they continue to single out DA-controlled municipalities and provinces for prejudicial treatment, we will have no option but to institute inter-governmental relations grievance procedures to stop this abuse, and ultimately approach the Constitutional Court to declare this selective harassment unconstitutional.

"In their capacity within the state, they have to fulfil their functions fairly and without prejudice. But it is clear, once again, that an office of state is being abused to pursue a party-political vendetta. This is both immoral and unconstitutional.

"This 'investigation' by the minister is also, I believe, a disingenuous attempt to cover up the fact that ANC activists told residents of Mitchells Plain to turn off their water before the minister's recent visit there, so that it would appear as though the City of Cape Town had cut off their water. (We are in possession of sworn affidavits to this effect)."

Zille said all across the country people were protesting about, among other things, water cut-offs in their homes, in clinics, and in schools, as water pipes and water purification networks crumbled.

In Cape Town, the City provided poor families with 350 free litres of water per day, she said. All they had to do was register on the City's indigency database.