South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that the fight against the cholera epidemic that has been affecting South Africa since February is an “immediate priority” for the government.
In his weekly newsletter, Mr. Ramaphosa said that the epidemic had worsened because of “poor governance and poorly maintained infrastructure”, calling on the authorities to address these shortcomings as a matter of urgency.
The cholera epidemic that has hit South Africa for several months now has claimed 24 lives in the provinces of Gauteng and the Free State. Hundreds of people are in hospital.
The Head of State noted that an investigation was underway to determine the source of the epidemic, adding that technical teams from the Department of Water and Sanitation and the national and provincial Departments of Health were carrying out water quality tests at distribution points and water treatment plants in the region.
Mr. Ramaphosa also pointed out that this disease is highly transmissible in conditions where access to drinking water and sanitation facilities is inadequate, adding that the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant, located north of Pretoria, does not have sufficient capacity to treat the volume of wastewater coming in.
It should be noted that last Sunday, the municipality of Tshwane issued a health warning, urging residents not to drink tap water after doubts were raised about its safety.