Dirty Water a Serious Threat to Food Safety

Public notions that the water sector is headed towards a state of disaster and total collapse are not true, says the South African Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). Tell that to the families of the 30 plus people that have died from cholera so far, as well as people living in affected communities in five of the country’s provinces. Sharp words also came from President Cyril Ramaphosa while visiting the suspected source – the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works in Tshwane – which has not been maintained for years. He openly criticised local government entities for not doing what they are supposed to do with the money provided to them. There is also a school of thought that this lack of action should be treated as a conservation crime as it puts at risk food safety.

First reports of the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, and the appearance of the President at the Rooiwal Treatment Works in Tshwane, seems to have galvanised national and local government departments into action.