Epidemiologist Dr Jo Barnes has described the recent cases of gastrointestinal illness in Tshwane and Makhanda as “heartbreaking”, raising concerns about municipal service delivery and the management of water treatment facilities.
More than 400 cases of gastrointestinal illness have been reported in communities supplied by the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works in Tshwane, after unchlorinated water was supplied for several weeks. Most of those affected are children under the age of four.
Meanwhile, Rhodes University in Makhanda has reported 111 cases among students and staff, with health authorities investigating possible causes, including water quality concerns.
Speaking to VOC News, Barnes said the incidents highlighted longstanding problems with municipal management and oversight.
“I would describe it with one word, heartbreaking,” she said, adding that poor management of essential municipal services, including water purification and sewage treatment, had contributed to recurring problems.
Barnes said the Bronkhorstspruit plant had reportedly gone three weeks without receiving chlorine because of a procurement dispute, questioning why the issue had not been addressed through proper oversight and quality control.
She warned that young children were particularly vulnerable to illness because their immune systems were still developing.
“These are not health crises per se, it’s management crises and it causes health crises,” Barnes said.
She called for stronger oversight of municipal services, saying preventable illnesses were placing additional pressure on hospitals and clinics already facing significant challenges.
Photo: VOCfm
