In a fiery statement, the ANC pointed at the DA as the chief cause behind the devastating cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, Tshwane, which, thus far, has claimed 15 lives.
ANC wants DA to account for Hammanskraal cholera outbreak
On Tuesday, the death toll in the Hammanskraal cholera outbreak rose to 15, with many other victims in critical condition.
The ruling party, which lost control of the City of Tshwane in 2016, blasted the DA-run metro for “[trampling] on the dignity of the people of Hammanskraal and shamelessly [violating] their human rights in the most heartless and inhumane manner.”
“The tragedy unfolding in Hammanskraal is a direct outcome of a municipality that has been sleeping on the job and failed dismally to provide clean and safe drinking water to the people of Hammanskraal,” the ANC exclaimed.
As reported by News24, on Monday, tensions erupted outside Jubilee Hospital, where Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink surfaced for an oversight visit, alongside Deputy Health Minister Sibongiseni Dhlomo, the Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister David Mahlobo and Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko.
Before the mayor could conduct his oversight visit, crowds of angry residents surrounded his vehicle, threatening violence if he got out.
According to the ANC, the DA has, thus far, refused to collaborate on a coordinated response to the Hammanskraal cholera outbreak.
“The ANC is disappointed by the DA’s half-hearted cooperation. Instead of joining hands with the provincial and national government to deal with the tragedy, the DA has resorted to their typical defensive, buck-passing and finger-pointing exercises without accepting any responsibility,” the ruling party wrote.
In an update posted by the DA’s social media accounts later on Monday, Mayor Brink confirmed that recent tests conducted on Hammanskraal’s water pipelines showed negative results for the presence of e-coli.
“I must emphasise that even though that is the indication of the tests, residents in this area must still treat the water from the taps as not suitable for human consumption, as we have warned over several months,” he said.
According to Brink, at least 95 patients have since been treated for diarrhoeal disease, 37 of whom were admitted to hospital. The death toll, at the time this article was published, stood at 15.