SAHRC, Public Protector officials visit Rooiwal amid cholera outbreak
Officials from the Gauteng division of the South African Human Rights Commission and the office of the Public Protector visited the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant, north of Pretoria on Thursday.
Officials say the purpose of their visit is to inspect the state of the facility’s operations, as it is deemed to be the source of many of the complaints received by these Chapter 9 institutions about the poor water quality in Hammanskraal.
This comes as the death toll from the cholera outbreak reached 25 on Thursday.
The Health Department confirmed reports from Mpumalanga authorities about the death of a 73-year-old woman who tested positive for the bacterial disease.
READ: Mpumalanga confirms first cholera death
This brings the number of affected provinces to three, after one death was reported in the Free State, and 23 others were recorded in Gauteng.
Many Hammanskraal residents have put the blame for the deadly outbreak squarely at the door of the municipality, which has failed to resolve the challenges at the Rooiwal and Temba water plants.
Upgrades at Rooiwal have been marred by years of delays and reports of multi-million-rand graft involving Tshwane officials and the likes of controversial businessman Edwin Sodi.
But while the city has set aside nearly half a million for the second leg of the much-needed refurbishments, billions more are needed to complete the project.
READ: Rooiwal refurbishment to cost whopping R4bn
For locals in the Hammanskraal area, the cost can be counted in the loss of human lives.
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