FEATURE: Who's to blame for the Hammanskraal cholera outbreak?
The number of people who have died after contracting cholera now stands at 32 in the country.
Gauteng is the epicentre of the health crisis, with 29 deaths reported in Hammanskraal near Tshwane. Two more fatalities were reported in the Free State, and another in Mpumalanga.
Cholera is a highly infectious water-borne bacterial disease linked to poor sanitation. The outbreak has put back into the spotlight the decade-long struggle by the people of Hammanskraal for access to potable water after the South African Human Rights Commission declared it unfit for human consumption in 2019.
The problem has persisted, with very little urgency in addressing the problematic Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant, and its dysfunctionality. The plant has been singled out as the biggest contributor
Jacaranda FM News looks into the history of the problem and interventions.
LISTEN Part 1:
In Hammanskraal's Kanana, Kamogelo Stock's grandmother Sarah Tlhomelang is one of the first few fatalities reported from the Jubilee Hospital which continues to see patients presenting with cholera-related symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and acute diarhoea.
In nearby Temba, Sichelisile Ncube lost her two young children Mavis (9) and Takkie (5) to cholera. Ncube didn't receive any material support toward her children's funeral and still owes the undertakers after negotiating a payment agreement.
At least one organisation, the Active African Christians United Movement, is mobilising affected familes and survivors of the disease to take legal steps against the government.
LISTEN Part 2:
WATCH: Cholera outbreak timeline video
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