Editorial Note: This story and the headline has been amended to reflect that President Cyril Ramaphosa will not visit Hammanskraal today (Sunday) but plans to visit.
President Cyril Ramaphosa plans to visit Hammanskraal north of Pretoria following an outbreak of cholera in the area.
The National Health Department now says 23 people have died in the area and one in the Free State. Three of the deceased in Hammanskraal were buried at Kanana cemetery yesterday.
In 2019, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) found that the water in Hammanskraal was not fit for human consumption, after residents of the area complained about its quality.
The commission’s former Gauteng head Buang Jones says government is not taking the issue seriously.
“The problem is poor management of the water infrastructure in the city of Tshwane, poor planning, inadequate allocation of budget to address this issue, a lack of political will and community involvement in finding lasting solutions. And failing water treatment plants in the city of Tshwane are partly responsible. And this has been happening since 2004. And the commission at the time when I was still there, we called on the national government to declare the situation in Hammanskraal a national disaster, but to date, this has not been done.”
Hammanskraal water crisis on the spotlight:
Meanwhile, Hammanskraal residents say they are extra cautious following the deaths. Residents say they don’t trust tap water as well as the water that they purchase from local vendors.
“We are afraid in this life we are living in right now. We don’t if that water 100% or not 100%. But we are buying it. But we are not happy.”
“We only using tap water for washing, laundry and cleaning. We do not drink the tap water.”
Cholera outbreak | The water is green and stinks: Residents:
