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Water test results have revealed that Makana municipality water in the Eastern Cape, particularly in the areas around the Settlers Hospital and indoor sports centres, is unsafe to drink
This finding comes amid a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, and cases of the disease also popping up in other parts of the country.
Makana municipality confirmed the positive E.coli test results on Thursday, while the number of confirmed cases in Hammanskraal at Jubilee Hospital stands at 44, with 21 fatalities recorded and 74 patients being admitted due to gastrointestinal infections.
“Makana municipality has received water testing results from the resampling that was done on 23 May 2023 that indicated there were failures in water quality, in that presence of E.coli was detected. The municipality is currently dealing with this matter,” said the municipality in a statement.
The municipality, however, stressed the fact that the water source did not have failures. The failure was found in the sample of Settlers Hospital, Extension 7 Clinic and indoor sports centres.
Eastern Cape and North West department of health confirmed to City Press that there were no reported cases of cholera,
READ: One of 13 Limpopo cholera patients confirmed to have visited Hammanskraal
Cholera now also in Free State
Meanwhile, the Free State has now also confirmed eight cases of cholera, with at least one death having been recorded. This has prompted the provincial department of health to warn residents to treat all tap water as high risk.
According to the province's health department spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi, there have been two cases that tested positive for cholera from Parys and a further six from nearby Vredefort. Both Parys patients have received appropriate medical care from Parys Hospital and have been discharged.
"Unfortunately, a 33-year-old female from Vredefort has passed away. She was admitted to Parys Hospital and passed away there. These three new cases bring the total number of positive cholera cases to eight if you add the original six cases that we had in Vredefort and discount the person that passed on," Mvambi said. He added a further 76 patients have been admitted to Parys hospital for vomiting and diarrhoea. However, only six tested positive.
Mvambi said that he could not confirm the source of the infections as yet, but tests conducted by AfriForum and community organisation Save Ngwathe revealed that the water from the Vaal River at Parys contained traces of cholera.
An accredited laboratory took water samples at different locations in Parys under the supervision of a water specialist.
"This information further proves that the Vaal River is indeed infected with cholera. There are several places where the raw sewage flows into the river due to infrastructure that is burnt out or is simply not available, load shedding and the fact that there is no emergency assistance such as generators or emergency pumps," said AfriForum in a statement.
Meanwhile, the province's capital, the Mangaung Metro Municipality is still awaiting confirmation of water quality tests.
Plans to repair Rooiwal wastewater plant
The minister of water and sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, conveyed his condolences to the 21 people who died due to cholera in a media briefing held in Tshwane on Friday, after a meeting that dealt with interventions on water supply challenges in Hammaskraal.
Mchunu said:
Mchunu said the department would meet with the Treasury and the department of human settlements to discuss specific matters, and that a document was presented and agreed upon in the meeting.
Meanwhile, the executive mayor of Tshwane, Cilliers Brink, said that there would be further engagements with other spheres of government during the course of weeks.
"Let me just emphasise that a lot of what we discussed and agreed on is subject to further discussions and agreements with other organs of state, but it comes down to forming a partnership, to pull resources to once and for all solve a long-standing issue of Rooiwal treatment plant and the fact that the plant has been out of capacity for almost 20 years," said Brink.
