Majodina says tests show no cholera in Tshwane patients

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina revealed that recent tests on patients in Tshwane, South Africa, who were suffering from gastrointestinal illnesses, did not detect any traces of cholera. However, high levels of E.coli were found in the water from the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant, which was not properly chlorinated between September 24th and October 14th.

This illness has affected over 400 individuals in Tshwane’s Region 7 since the beginning of October. Majodina announced that a response team has been formed to carry out more tests and investigations.

The impacted communities, including Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit, Dark City, Rethabiseng, and Sokhulumi, primarily receive water from the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant. The affected residents have been instructed not to use tap water for drinking or cooking due to the water quality and public health crisis. Tshwane Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya emphasized that tap water does not meet drinking standards and advised residents to only use it for flushing toilets. Instead, water tankers are supplying the affected areas.

Moya stated that this situation is similar to the typhoid outbreak in Hammanskraal last year, which required cooperation between various government departments. She highlighted that water delivered by tankers is routinely tested to ensure its safety for drinking. Moya emphasized that the source of the problem is in the water, and resolving the issue of clean water in Bronkhorstspruit is essential.

In the short term, the government will continue to supply tankers of clean water to the residents of Bronkhorstspruit, which will be routinely tested to ensure its safety.