Johannesburg - With 22 people dead and more than 179 patients in different hospitals across Tshwane, the Hammanskraal cholera outbreak continues to haunt the residents of the area, who are living in constant fear of more deaths.
Yesterday afternoon, the Department of Health confirmed that 22 people had died due to this water-borne disease that began ravaging lives over a month ago with 21 in Gauteng and one death in Free State.
The acting Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, accompanied by the experts from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), World Health Organization (WHO) visited the Jubilee Regional Hospital yesterday afternoon.
Gauteng MEC of Health Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko addressed the matter during her delivery of the department’s budget speech at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature yesterday (Thursday).
She acknowledged that the crisis had become more serious due to the increase in casualties, most of whom are being treated at various hospitals in the area.
In her budget speech, she said: “Madam Speaker, over the past few days, we have been grappling with a significant health crisis in the form of the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal.
“This challenge has not just underscored our collective fragility, but it has also emphasised the perpetual threats that our public health system faces every single day. Therefore, our vigilance, preparedness, and response must be as relentless as the threats we face.”
The MEC’s address came on the day after members of the EFF picketed outside Temba police station as they laid criminal charges against government officials, the City of Tshwane municipality, and the Gauteng provincial leadership alleged to be responsible for the outbreak, reported to have been ten years in the making.
The party said the metro municipality should be held accountable for the deaths as it had failed to provide safe and healthy drinking water, which is a basic human right.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said the number of patients that had been seen at the Jubilee District Hospital has been increasing. Reports indicated that at least 179 patients had been seen there, including 18 patients who had been transferred to Dr George Mukhari and Steve Biko Academic Hospitals in Tshwane.
"The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera is standing at 29. To date, 20 people have passed away from the disease outbreak. The total number of patients admitted due to gastrointestinal infections is 78," the MEC said.
The MEC said she and members of her office shared the pain of loved ones who had lost members of their family to the tragedy.
"As the Gauteng Provincial Government, we extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones as a result of the diarrheal outbreak. It is truly a difficult and painful time for many families.
“Losing someone to a preventable disease like cholera is heartbreaking, and our thoughts are with all the families and communities impacted by this outbreak," Nkomo-Ralehoko added.
This week, Tshwane municipality, along with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), indicated that they were working around the clock to track down where the bacterial disease originated from.
Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink said that several of the municipality’s water sources have tested negative for traces of the cholera bacteria.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said the department will continue to upscale its treatment and community education programmes in a bid to prevent more fatalities.
"We continue to closely monitor the situation and provide the necessary support to the multidisciplinary teams working on the ground. We furthermore welcome the contribution made by various organisations towards relief efforts," she said.
Meanwhile, the EFF leader in Tshwane, Obakeng Ramabodu, has denied the party is using the deaths of 20 people in Hammanskraal for political campaigning.
Ramabodu said the party has laid murder charges against mayor Cilliers Brink, and City Manager, Johan Mettler, at the Temba police station in Hammanskraal.
The party said the city had to be held liable for the deaths due to its failure to provide safe, drinkable water.
"If it’s a PR, let it be a PR that will make sure someone accounts. Because every time we speak, it’s PR, so we can’t do anything as politicians because we are scared. When we clean, it is PR; when we help people with food parcels, it is PR; anything that you call it or let it be a PR as long as our people benefit," Ramabodu said.
Media reports have pointed the finger squarely at businessman Edwin Sodi, who has been blamed for failing to provide clean drinking water due to a failed tender project he was awarded.
This has led to more blame games, as in a statement in which the Department of Water and Sanitation said that it had, throughout the years, sought to institute several enforcement actions and compliance requirements against the City to improve its water quality.
The Star