Cholera outbreak signals water mismanagement

Cape Town - A vital prerequisite for safe living is adequate sanitation facilities, yet South Africa’s sewer system is on the verge of collapse.

The country is facing a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, north of Gauteng. In February, the country reported its first two cholera cases following outbreaks in the two most seriously impacted neighbouring nations,

Mozambique and Malawi, as per the reports from the UN. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the most recent cholera outbreak in 2008– 2009 resulted in over 12 000 cases and 65 fatalities.

The difference, however, between the 2008/09 outbreak and the one currently plaguing northern Gauteng is that the former was on the back of an outbreak in Zimbabwe, which spread to South Africa, while the latter has been exacerbated by lack of infrastructure and transparency on the part of government, as well as corruption.

Cholera is a waterborne disease that can be spread through contaminated water and food.

Therefore, the first case occurred in South Africa’s most populated province, and by extension, the nation’s economic hub – Gauteng which has over 15.81 million people, according to Statistics SA.

Interestingly, it is commonly known that cholera occurs mostly in underdeveloped countries that lack proper sewage disposal and water supplies.

South Africa has world class infrastructure and is certainly the continent’s most industrialised economy and a diversified economy.

Therefore, as the most developed country, it is appalling that the country is experiencing an outbreak of a controllable disease like cholera.

Under normal circumstances, South Africa would not be concerned about cholera, but because local governments have delivered such subpar services, many wastewater treatment plants are in disarray.

And this is exacerbated by the fact that the cholera outbreak was first reported in January and by February it had claimed a life, which was recorded as the first fatality in the province.

But lacklustre response from the government in dealing with the disease has seen the number of deaths recorded reach 26 in Pretoria, Hammanskraal, and surrounding areas.

This outbreak cannot be linked to the previous outbreak as the current one is related to the expropriation of funds and mismanagement in municipalities.

Had the water treatment contract for the cholera-stricken Hammanskraal been given to a qualified company and work carried out as scheduled, the quality of the water provided to the community would have improved to acceptable levels a long time ago.

Instead, Edwin Sodi, an ANC associate, accused of corruption, received the contract to upgrade the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant.

His consortium allegedly completed half the work while receiving R292 million, the full amount due under the terms of the contract; and the fact the Sodi has not been brought to book shows that South Africa is dealing with a lack of political will from those who claim to best represent the dreams and aspirations of the majority.

This would ordinarily make the country vulnerable to diseases like cholera, which thrive in the most vulnerable communities, particularly as a nation characterised by First World and Third World in one country.

In 2022, the findings of the Green Drop Programme by the Department of Public Works detailed the state of wastewater treatment in the country.

According to the report, 90 municipalities have 334 wastewater systems that are in critical condition.

Only 34 of the 168 plans submitted to the department for remedial action were actually being carried out; the remaining were either still in the planning stages or had no documented progress. This poses a threat to the health of South Africans, particularly as the country is still reeling from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is of grave concern, particularly as basic indicators of economic development teach us that health determines the prosperity of a country as it ensures the productivity of the labour force participation.

Gumbi and Mashiloane are from the Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation at the University of Johannesburg

Cape Times