Pretoria - A shell-shocked Thabiso Mahlaela, who lost his father to the Cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, struggled to hold back his tears as he spoke to IOL on Tuesday about the death of his father.
Josias Mashishi, 54, is among the 15 people who lost their lives to the outbreak in Hammanskraal.
Mahlaela said his father was taken to Jubilee Hospital in the early hours of Thursday after complaining about his stomach and vomiting.
“We let him sleep for a while as he was from work, but around 4am, he was not able to speak any more or get off the bed,” he said.
He said his father’s death affected the family badly because he was the breadwinner and would make their lives easier. “I am only left with my mother, my young brother and two little sisters,” he added.
He explained that all the responsibilities now fall on to his shoulders as the older brother and first born of the family.
“It affects me badly because I’ll need him on certain occasions for guidance and support,” he said.
Mahlaela said the water challenges in Hammanskraal had been going on for more than a decade and currently they use the water for only laundry, cleaning, and watering the plants and not for cooking, drinking and bathing.
“We no longer use tap water because it is bad for our health. We buy bottled water in bulk to avoid complications.
“Sometimes the water turns brownish and even has a funny smell just to show that it was not for human consumption, " he said.
He added the municipality has been supplying the community with water tanks but it’s uncertain as to whether the water was clean or not because the last truck that supplied water to the community affected them.
Mahlaela had no words for the authorities because the water problem was reported to them for a long time multiple times. “I expect them to be fair and just on the matter and not take sides,” he said.
Meanwhile, he blamed the Jubilee Hospital for mistreating and denying them access to see their father on Friday. “I last saw my father being taken by an ambulance on Thursday. They denied us access to see him on Friday, if they had allowed us to see him, maybe he would have picked up and fought for his life,” Mahlaela emotionally told IOL.
Current Affairs