An Eastern Cape municipality has been called a “ticking time bomb” for a potential cholera outbreak, like the one that left more than 15 people dead in Hammanskraal, after E. coli bacteria counts in drinking water at a clinic and school were found to be severely contaminated.
UN health experts are warning that the deadly disease cholera once in decline is making a devastating comeback and it will be world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities that suffer.
Makhanda’s long-standing water crisis reached a critical point last week when the Makana Municipality’s last remaining pump at its vital Howieson’s Poort pump station ended up in a muddy ditch while on its way to Johannesburg for repairs. Rhodes University students and residents who took to the streets to protest the dire water supply crisis last week had no idea things could get any worse.
The family of four-year-old Lisekhona Bouwer, who was fatally injured when a jungle gym fell on him on a playground in December 2019 in Riebeek East, have slammed the Makana Municipality for dragging its feet in removing the dangerous equipment.