African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has visited the Hammanskraal community following the recent cholera outbreak which has so far claimed more than 20 lives.

During the visit, he offered the party’s condolences to the families of the people affected by the cholera outbreak.

“It is indeed true that the Hammanskraal community has been experiencing unreliable and poor-quality potable water supply for an extended period. The research findings indicate that the poor water quality is caused by failure of the Rooiwal wastewater treatment works to meet the desirable final effluent quality for discharge to the Apies river which flows into the Leeukraal dam,” Mbalula said.

The secretary-general has welcomed the initiatives taken by technical teams within the departments of Water and Sanitation, and Health, and other relevant municipalities to implement water quality tests at distribution points and at water treatment works where infections have occurred. 

Mbalula noted the water complexities facing Hammanskraal but highlighted the importance of providing access to clean water in the interests of human health, food security and environmental sustainability.

“Disease outbreaks like cholera in Hammanskraal are made worse in situations of poor governance and operations, weak management and little to no infrastructure,” Mbalula stressed.

He has called on government to act swiftly and decisively on behalf of communities affected by the cholera outbreak to prevent a national health crisis.