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A recent Facebook comment, by an employee of the South African Human Rights Commission, which implied that people in Hammanskraal were dying from the water they consume is ill-informed.

The actual number of diarrhea cases reported in Hammanskraal between 2015 and 2019 debunks the myth that there is widespread illness in Hammanskraal because of water quality.

This was supported by Gauteng Health MEC, Bandile Masuku, in a written response to the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) questions.

According to Masuku, no patients were treated for diarrhea or died at clinics or hospitals in Hammanskraal between 2015 and 2019 as a result of the water quality.

Furthermore, the District Environmental Health Team investigated the water used in clinics and found it to be suitable for drinking.

The DA does not deny that Hammanskraal residents have been complaining about the quality of their water, but is perplexed that the African National Congress (ANC) is blaming the DA for this, when in fact the issue dates back to many years before the DA took over leadership of City of Tshwane from the ANC in 2016.

In recent court papers, the Gauteng executive used the Hammanskraal issue as one of its excuses to place the Tshwane Council under administration without giving any consideration to how the DA-led City of Tshwane had already intervened to address the matter.

In doing so, the city established a special mayoral committee to investigate the root cause of the problem and measures to address it had already begun prior to the ANC placing the City under administration.

This clearly confirms that the ANC's attempt to hijack the City of Tshwane’s coffers was in preparation for the 2021 local government elections.

Issued by DA