The City of Tshwane has announced that it will deploy nine water tankers to Ekangala from Tuesday following complaints from residents about inadequate water supplies amid a contamination crisis linked to 833 reported illness cases.
Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya announced the intervention on Monday night after IOL reported last week on Friday that residents complained that the existing tanker service was inadequate.
This left some households struggling to access enough water for drinking, cooking and washing.
At the time, IOL sent questions to the city about the tanker shortages in the area, which was acknowledged, but no response was received.
The outbreak has affected communities in Tshwane’s Region 7, including Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit, Dark City, Rethabiseng and Sokhulumi.
A joint government statement initially reported 408 cases of gastrointestinal illness between October 7 and 18, with most of those affected being children under the age of four.
The number of reported cases has since risen to 833. Three residents remain in hospital.
Residents fear for their health
Katlego Palesa Mojafi, from Section F in Ekangala, said she became ill after consuming the contaminated water and had sought medical attention twice.
“I feel like they did it on purpose. How do you let people consume what they are not supposed to consume?
“To me, I feel like they wanted to kill us somehow because you cannot let people drink the water that they are not supposed to take,” she previously told IOL.
Mojafi said she began experiencing stomach cramps about two weeks ago and initially visited the Dark City community health clinic, where she received an injection and was advised not to drink tap water.
She later visited the Ekangala clinic after experiencing further symptoms. She also reported symptoms she believed were consistent with a urinary tract infection, although it has not been established whether these were linked to the contaminated water.
Mojafi said her grandmother had also become unwell.
The unemployed resident, who lives in a household of seven where nobody has a job, said buying bottled water had placed additional financial pressure on the family.
“It's straining because we are a family of seven. So, yeah, it's a lot because 10 litres does not last us eight days,” she said.
The family buys bottled water for drinking but continues to use tap water for cooking because it cannot afford enough bottled water for all its needs.
“It's even worse when they are saying we are not even supposed to bathe with that water, to cook with that water. Like, we cannot afford to buy so much water,” Mojafi said.
Water tankers not reaching everyone
Mojafi said the tanker arrangements were failing to meet the needs of residents who were elderly, ill or unable to walk long distances to collect water.
She said deliveries did not always reach her street, sometimes leaving residents waiting several days for supplies.
“I can say it has a negative impact because now there are water tankers, but then we are not even able to go there to collect water from the water tankers because they are not coming from street to street,” she said.
Mojafi said her grandmother was too old to walk long distances, while younger members of the household were at school during the day.
She said she was also struggling with her own health and felt she had little choice but to continue using the affected water.
“I am scared. But, like I said, there's actually nothing I can do. Water is a need. We need water every day, on a daily basis. I cannot go a day without bathing. I cannot go a day without cooking.
“So, as I'm not able to afford to buy water, I'm forced to use that dirty water,” she said.
Family forced to ration water
Another resident, Portia Nkosi, from Section I in Ekangala, said her family was also living in fear.
“We are very much scared because the illness sounds so serious and painful. It can even cause death if your immune system is weak,” she said.
Nkosi said she had learnt about the crisis through social media rather than receiving a timely warning from the authorities.
“No, we were not informed on time and I had to find out from Facebook,” she told IOL.
She said residents had to walk long distances to collect water and struggled to carry it home, making daily chores such as washing clothes difficult.
“It's not enough because we have to walk a distance for us to reach the water tanks. How are we supposed to do our laundry? I won't be able to carry even two baskets. I have to walk just to get one basket because I don't have a wheelbarrow, so for me it's not enough,” she said.
Nkosi, who lives with her two children, said one of them had experienced diarrhoea. She initially believed the illness was caused by food rather than water.
“Since we can't afford to buy water, it means it's even harder to go to the doctor, so can they please provide us with clean water,” she said.
City reorganises tanker distribution
In a statement, Moya said the city's Water Management Committee had assessed developments affecting water supply and quality and co-ordinated interventions across the metro and paid particular attention to concerns about the reliability and fairness of water tanker distribution in Ekangala.
“In response, distribution arrangements are being reorganised, with nine tankers scheduled to serve Ekangala from tomorrow,” Moya said.
“A centralised coordination point is also being established to improve route management and ensure that affected communities receive more consistent access to water.”
Moya said Rand Water continued to lead the rehabilitation programme at the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment works, while the city maintained alternative water provision and public health monitoring.
The city has also completed cleaning emergency water storage tanks at clinics, which are awaiting water quality testing before being brought into use. Cleaning of additional community storage facilities in Ekangala is scheduled to begin.
Moya said oversight of alternative water supplies had been strengthened to ensure that water distributed to affected communities met health and safety standards.
Independent private tanker operators must obtain municipal verification and authorisation before distributing water.
The city said their vehicles must be presented at the Commando Building in Bronkhorstspruit for verification and water quality testing by the city's environmental health practitioners.
“The Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) will conduct compliance checks to ensure that operators meet the necessary requirements.”
“These measures are intended to protect residents while allowing private-sector partners to continue supporting the City's emergency water provision programme.”
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