Presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved to assure South Africans that the government’s immediate priority is to end the cholera outbreak and ensure safe water for all.
Writing in his weekly newsletter on Monday, the President said the recent outbreaks of cholera in Hammanskraal, Gauteng, and in the Free State have shown the importance of safe and effective water and wastewater management.
The cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal and the Free State has so far claimed 24 lives, while hundreds more have been hospitalised.
The President sent his condolences to those who lost their loved ones.
"Disease outbreaks such as the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal are made far worse in situations of poor governance, weak management, and poor maintenance of infrastructure. We have a responsibility and are determined to remedy those shortcomings in a sustainable way and as a matter of urgency," Ramaphosa said.
"An investigation is underway into the source of the outbreak. Technical teams from the City of Tshwane, the Department of Water and Sanitation, and the national and provincial Departments of Health are carrying out water quality tests at distribution points and at water treatment works in the area," the President said.
Rampahosa said the team was also "tracking and tracing infections".
He said to date, the original source of the cholera infection has not been located.
"However, this waterborne disease is highly transmissible in conditions where there is inadequate access to clean water and sanitation facilities," he said.
The President acknowledged that unreliable and poor-quality drinking water has been a problem in Hammanskraal for many years.
