Water samples collected from the Vaal River in Parys, have tested positive for cholera, a highly contagious waterborne disease, civil rights organisation AfriForum confirmed.
The organisation said it received confirmation from the Envirocare Laboratory, raising concerns about the quality of water and its potential impact on public health.
The Free State region recently recorded its first cholera-related fatality, bringing the total number of deaths to 22, with 21 of those occurring in Gauteng.
AfriForum has emphasised the need for comprehensive testing to assess water quality, particularly in the Vaal River, a crucial water source for many communities.
The civic group is calling for urgent action, citing years of struggle in their fight for access to clean water.
Lambert de Klerk, manager of Environmental Affairs at AfriForum, expressed their willingness to assist the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in resolving the crisis. However, despite reaching out to the authorities, they claim to have received no response.
AfriForum asserts that the DWS must take an active role in addressing the situation to prevent further loss of innocent lives.
“The [DWS] will have to actively intervene and AfriForum is prepared to help. We have also already mentioned to them that we are willing to help but unfortunately have not received any feedback,” said de Klerk.
According to AfriForum, Karien Viljoen from Save Ngwathe is in possession of a disturbing video showing blood-like discharge emanating from an overflowing manhole. Stating that both the DWS and the municipality are reportedly aware of this issue.
AfriForum and Save Ngwathe are urgently appealing to residents in the Ngwathe metro to refrain from consuming tap water unless it has been properly boiled.
Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s district coordinator for the Mooi River, expressed deep concern over the situation. She emphasised the crucial need for intervention by the authorities and criticized the perceived lack of response to AfriForum’s offer of assistance over the past two years.
Pretorius underscored that innocent lives are now paying the price for the negligence surrounding the provision of clean water.
“I hope that the authorities and especially the DWS realize the vital importance of this problem and will intervene with the incompetent municipality. The help that AfriForum has been offering for the last two years is being ignored time and time again and now innocent people are paying for it with their lives,” she said.
Added Pretorius: “It also came to our attention this week that the council suspended the technical manager who was supposed to look after the water plant pending an investigation. There is no one who is now taking responsibility for this water plant and this puts further pressure on the municipality and causes great concern among members of the community.”
In response to recent media reports on the outbreak, Rand Water assured its customers that even in the event of Cholera being detected in their catchments, they use chlorine as a powerful disinfectant to address Cholera just as it does with the E. coli bacteria.
Rand Water supplies safe drinking water to urban and rural municipalities, as well as industrial and mining sectors in Gauteng, as well as selected regions in Mpumalanga, the Free State, and North West provinces.
“There are media reports that indicate that cholera was detected downstream of Rand Water’s abstraction points.
“We wish to inform our customers that even if Cholera were to be detected around our catchments, Rand Water uses chlorine as a disinfectant which is able to deal with cholera the same way as it does E. coli.
“So far, there is no risk of infections related to tap water within Rand Water areas of supply,” it said.
Meanwhile, the EFF in Tshwane has taken a significant step by filing a criminal complaint of mass murder against the office of the mayor.
Obakeng Ramabodu, the EFF regional chairperson, led a group of dedicated supporters who gathered at the Temba police station on Thursday. They wore party regalia to show their allegiance.
Ramabodu expressed that Mayor Cilliers Brink, along with the city manager and the metro, should be held accountable for their failure to tackle the ongoing water crisis in Hammanskraal, which has persisted for a decade.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
