The cholera death toll has risen to 15 in Hammanskraal. The City of Tshwane has been accused of negligence and giving people dirty water to consume. Political parties have lashed at the city claiming they have violated a basic human rights. They said the violation of this right is now claiming lives and devastating families and the community. But the city says tests conducted on the city's piped water supply have not shown any traces of cholera.
NO TRACES OF CHOLERA IN PIPED WATER SUPPLY
The City of Tshwane said in a statement last night that they have received the results from sampling testing taken from multiple sites around Temba and Hammanskraal pertaining to tracing the cholera outbreak. Spokesperson Selby Bokaba said multiple reservoirs, fire hydrants, primary schools, clinics, and other locations that receive water from the Temba Water Treatment Plant were tested. "All of these tests have conclusively indicated that there are no microbiological contaminants that point to E. Coli or Faecal Coliforms that can be linked to the cholera outbreak," he said. Bokaba added that this means that the water that is being distributed via the city's bulk water distribution network in the area does not have cholera present in it. "This does not make this water safe to drink as it is treated heavily with chlorine. The City of Tshwane would like to reiterate its appeal to the communities in Hammanskraal and surrounding areas to refrain from using water from taps for drinking purposes," Bokaba said.
WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION RESULTS
Bokaba said Outbreak Response Teams (ORT) are on the ground conducting surveillance monitoring, sampling and field investigations. He also said that the city is waiting for the confirmatory test results from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) to determine the actual source of contamination. The results are expected to come in on Wednesday. "The city would like to encourage residents in the affected areas to regularly wash the containers they use to draw water from the water tankers with Jik detergent and to boil water drawn from other sources before drinking it. Communities are also urged not to conduct religious activities such as baptism in the rivers or streams," Bokaba added.
INVESTIGATIONS NEEDED
ANC has called for the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) to investigate how the resources that have been set aside for water purification and wastewater treatment in the City of Tshwane have been utilised. The ANC's Lesego Makhubela said the water crisis in the area has been ongoing for years. "There is no rational explanation for how the City has sat on the South African Human Rights Commission report for almost half a decade, and yet, the Themba plant remains in a state of deterioration to the point of having to be shut down. There is a legitimate concern that the water insecurity crisis in the city is benefiting some within the higher echelons of power, for nothing else can explain the callousness with which the situation is being dealt with," Makhubela said.
RESIDENTS UNDERMINED
The Economic Freedom Fighters say the DA-led City of Tshwane has no regard for human lives and cares less about them. "The residents have been subjected to unclean water for many years. Water coming out from the taps ranges from yellow to brown and at times faeces-like material can be spotted in the water. A solution to bring water tankers to supply clean water to residents was brought forward. However, it has been inconsistent and the elderly as well as the disabled find it difficult to access the tankers. Even the Provincial government has failed to intervene in this urgent matter, said the EFF.
