Sekhukhune District Municipality Executive Mayor took time to visit Tswaing village at Makhuduthamaga to follow up on progress made by the maintenance team there that clean, portable and safe water is supplied by the reticulation scheme.

TSWAING – Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM) has confirmed Typhoid Disease outbreak in parts of the district.

SDM confirmed the disease has been tested positive in water that flows in a canal that runs parallel the affected villages.

Willy Mosoma, SDM Spokesperson, warned Stykraal, Tswaing, Mooiplaas, Vlakplaas communities and the surroundings of the outbreak.

According to the district municipality, earlier during the November month, more than 60 children from nearby schools where hospitalized after consuming water from the canal. Confirmed reports are that two learners have since passed away after drinking the contaminated water.

Stan Ramaila, SDM Executive Mayor, said first of all they would like to send condolences to the bereaved families and wished speedy recovery to all those who were badly affected by the contaminated water.

Ramaila said they could confirm, following the test conducted at the CSIR from water samples taken during the time of the incident from the canal, that typhoid disease was detected in the water.

He said it was therefore important that they informed their communities about the outbreak of the disease.

“And on that spirit request our people to refrain from consuming that water. We have measures in place to start distributing clean and portable water to the affected areas, added Ramaila.

The district municipality said it has also directed water department to henceforth repair all breakdowns in the affected areas so that people can be supplied with portable water.

Ramaila said they were pleased to note remarkable progress in that regard, and committed that all people in those areas got water.

He added that the district municipality would continue to have engagements with the affected communities regarding healthy ways to consume water.

The Executive Mayor explained that through the district’s Institutional Social Development department and Environmental Health Inspectors, the district would continue engaging to resolve all water related challenges.

“Part of finding everlasting solution to this problem is the historic establishment of the District Sanitation and Water Forum which took place in Ga-Nkoana village on 30 November 2017. This forum seeks to achieve direct and speedy communications between members of the community and government. We anticipate that through this historic forum which is the first since the establishment of the municipality in the year 2000, we will be able to curb service delivery protests since there will be direct communications between communities, officials of government and political leadership,” concluded Ramaila.