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The Human Rights Fee in Limpopo says it is going to prioritise the grievance laid by residents of Seshego in opposition to the Polokwane Municipality for failing to supply secure consuming water, due to the seriousness of the case.
Residents say, regardless of assurances by Polokwane Mayor John Mpe, the water popping out of their faucets is soiled and causes abdomen cramps, runny tummy and nausea, with some diseases relationship again to early December 2025.
In December, Mpe visited Seshego and declared the water secure after consuming from a faucet. However final week, when Well being-e Information visited the realm, the water popping out of the faucets was nonetheless brown.
The group of Third Home part in Zone2 on the northeastern aspect of Seshego say they’ve skilled well being issues after consuming faucet water.
Pensioner Maria Matlala has been utilizing faucet water to take her hypertension medicine. Due to her poor eyesight, she couldn’t spot the discolouration within the water.
“I began having an unexplained headache and operating tummy and instructed a neighbour. That’s when the youth within the neighbourhood alerted me to the problem with the water,” Matlala tells Well being-e Information. “I didn’t suppose a lot of it and by no means went to a well being facility for checkups. The pains continued for per week and now have eased after shopping for over-the-counter medicine from an area pharmacy.”
Including insult to harm, residents declare they pay exorbitant month-to-month water payments regardless of the continuing contamination.
Fundamental human rights
“The Seshego water case shall be allotted to a certified investigator who will run the checks on the alleged contaminated water. The investigator will decide whether or not or not the water system is compliant, the security of the water, and different challenges thereof,” says the Fee’s Advocate Munee Badantswang, talking to residents demonstrating in entrance of the municipal places of work on February 20.
Protesters needed to spotlight the seriousness of the continuing water disaster, bringing bottles of discoloured water collected from their faucets.
Johannes Thelele, a member of the group water disaster activity staff, says they’ve been despatched from pillar to publish by the municipality.
“We determined to picket on the municipal constructing the place the mayor, the municipal supervisor, and different prime officers are. We’re in deep agony and pissed off as our basic human rights are being trampled upon by this conceited management,” says Thelele.
Group chief and member of the ward committee, Mpho Boshego, says they’ve tried on a number of events to satisfy with Oupa Maakamedi, the member of the mayoral committee answerable for what and sanitation, to no avail.
“Maakamedi is at all times reluctant to deal with these pertinent points, even this critical water dilemma. We’ve made a number of telephone calls and WhatsApp textual content messages, however nothing constructive got here out of that,” Boshego says.
“After realising that the municipality just isn’t dedicated to listening to our considerations, we determined to enlist the companies of Chapter 9 establishments. We went to the provincial places of work of the Human Rights Fee in Polokwane, the place we registered our case.”
In his defence, Maakamedi says: “I’ve dispatched my staff to the township to watch the state of affairs. I can assure that it’ll get the mandatory consideration. I’ll give suggestions on this matter inside seven working days.”
Want to verify supply of sickness
Dr Matome Modipane, a senior lecturer who specialises in water therapy processes and know-how on the College of Limpopo, has suggested the municipality to work intently with the provincial Departments of Well being and Water and Sanitation to determine and make sure if certainly the contaminated water has precipitated the continuing disaster and associated illnesses.
“The Division of Well being should examine the affected person’s medical data and advise the municipality if the affected person’s sickness has signs of gastrointestinal infections, extreme diarrhoea, and nausea attributable to consuming contaminated water,” he says.
“The municipality should additionally examine the water high quality in opposition to its compliance degree with all nationwide and worldwide requirements and rules. They have to determine non-compliant water high quality parameters for all regulated and non-regulated high quality parameters, and likewise set up if these parameters have the potential to trigger the reported water-related illnesses in Seshego.”
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“Lastly, they need to additionally hint the sources and pathways into varied consuming water sources to provide you with remedial and preventative measures. The municipality should additionally fee an impartial research to research the foundation reason behind water-related illnesses,” says Modipane.
Municipal actions
The municipality issued a media assertion on February 20, confirming experiences of discoloured water affecting sure households in Seshego. Spokesperson Thipa Selala mentioned the municipality has applied precautionary measures to guard public well being and make sure the integrity of the water provide.
“These measures embrace increasing the water sampling community, confirming the standard of the supply water, intensifying technical investigations and isolating affected sections of the distribution community the place vital,” the assertion reads.
“Residents within the affected areas have been strongly suggested to not use the discoloured water as a security precaution till laboratory outcomes from collected samples have been finalised and communicated. Within the meantime, water tankers shall be deployed to supply non permanent aid to residents in Seshego.”
Selala says the municipality will proceed to intently monitor the state of affairs and supply common updates as extra data turns into obtainable. – Well being-e Information
