AfriForum’s manager of Environmental Affairs, Lambert de Klerk said an accredited laboratory took water samples at different locations in this town under the supervision of a water specialist.

“The first water sample taken at the outlet of the water works was not contaminated with cholera. The second water sample taken from a residential house in Paris tested negative for cholera but was infected with E. coli. The third water sample was taken in the Vaal River, approximately 10 meters downstream from a manhole that has been pouring sewage into the river for some time. It is this very water sample that is contaminated with cholera and E. coli.”

AfriForum is still waiting for the official results, but the laboratory has already notified this organization of the results due to the seriousness of the matter.

“It is extremely worrying that the withdrawal point for Vredefort’s water is only 1 km from the sewage dump. It is precisely in Vredefort where there are also confirmed cases of cholera and where a resident died from this virus.”

This information further proves that the Vaal River is indeed infected with cholera. There are several places where the raw sewage flows into the river due to infrastructure that has burned out or is not available at all, load shedding and the fact that there is no emergency assistance such as generators or emergency pumps.”

“The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) will have to actively intervene and AfriForum is prepared to help. We have also already mentioned to them that we are willing to help but unfortunately have not received any feedback,” says de Klerk.

AfriForum and Save Ngwathe appeal to residents of all the towns in the Ngwathe metro not to drink tap water before it has been boiled. “I hope that the authorities and especially the DWS realize the vital importance of this problem and will intervene with the incompetent municipality. The help that AfriForum has been offering for the last two years is being ignored time and time again and now innocent people are paying for it with their lives,” says Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s district coordinator for the Mooi River.

“It also came to our attention this week that the council suspended the technical manager who had to look after the water plant pending an investigation. There is no one who is now taking responsibility for this water plant and this puts further pressure on the municipality and causes great concern among members of the community,” concludes Pretorius.