The suggestions that more than 20 deaths in Hammanskraal in May this year in the wake of a cholera outbreak was caused by contaminated water from the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant is “misleading”.

This was said by City of Tshwane’s Utility Services MMC Themba Fosi in reaction to opposition parties’ insinuation that dirty water from the Rooiwal plant had something to do with deaths of people following a cholera outbreak in the township.

Fosi was speaking during an ordinary council sitting at Tshwane House council chamber, where councillors deliberated on the recent public protector’s report that found that the City had failed to provide the residents of Hammanskraal with clean water.

ANC councillor William Kgopa attributed the failure to supply clean water to lack of capacity on the part of the City and its current administration.

“The allegation that there was undue delay by the City to supply the residents of Hammanskraal with clean water that is suitable for human consumption is now substantiated,” he said.

He claimed that if Rooiwal was located somewhere in the affluent suburbs it would have been fixed a long time ago.

“But, because it is in Hammanskraal the City doesn’t care,” he said.

He said people died because they consumed water that had cholera “but today no one can explain what caused cholera in Hammanskraal”.

South Africa - Hammanskraal Water crisis. 23 May 2023. In light of a Cholera outbreak we visit the community of Hammanskraal to live a day in the life of people from the area. Dipuo Mukosi started her water sales business two years ago and it is booming. Picture: Timothy Bernard/ African News Agency (ANA)

“The families of those who died still want to know what happened and no one can explain that,” Kgopa said.

EFF councillor Benjamin Mathebula said Tshwane’s failure to supply clean water to Hammanskraal residents led to loss of lives in May this year.

“The question we have is: how many lives are we likely to lose before a lasting solution is found?” he asked.

He said it was worth noting that the report also found that the Rooiwal water also polluted the Apies River.

GOOD Party councillor Sarah Mabotsa said her party consistently supported any positive initiative to deal with the water in Hammanskraal.

“The water problem has been plaguing the community over a decade now and it is high time that a permanent solution be put in place as soon as possible,” she said.

She said more than 20 people died and some were taken to hospital due to cholera in Hammanskraal.

Fosi said: “I think councillors need to desist from mentioning cholera and the issue of Rooiwal in one sentence. Up until today there is no finding that has anything to do with water that is contaminated in Rooiwal with cholera. I think that information is rather misleading because we have institutions like CSIR and other reputable institutions that tested water tankers. No remnants of cholera there. I must admit that the people of Hammanskraal deserve potable water in their taps.”

One of the remedial actions proposed by the public protector report was that the municipal manager, Johann Mettler, must within 60 days of receipt of the report develop an implementation plan setting out the measures, including prioritisation of capital funding within its available resources, to be undertaken to upgrade and refurbish the Rooiwal plant to address the ongoing water quality failures at the Temba water treatment works.

For years, residents in Hammanskraal have been forced to consume dirty water because the Rooiwal plant didn’t have capacity to purify wastewater, resulting in the sludge being discharged into the Apies River.

The Apies River in turn supplied water to Temba water treatment plant, used for purifying water for the Hammanskraal residents.

Pretoria News

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