By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Two more people had died at Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal, bringing the death toll from the cholera outbreak to 17.
This is according to an update from the Gauteng health department on Wednesday morning.
The department added that there were currently 165 patients at Jubilee District Hospital, and that 18 had been transferred to other facilities in Tshwane.
Department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the number of laboratory-confirmed cholera cases was now 29.
“The department continues to urge people to ensure proper hand hygiene, which includes thorough washing of hands with water and soap or alcohol-based sanitiser before handling food and after using the toilet,” Modiba said.
He advised the public to report to their nearest health facility if they had diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps or dehydration symptoms so they could get medical treatment.
The quality of water provided to the cholera-hit Hammanskraal would have improved to acceptable levels a year ago had its water treatment contract been awarded to a suitable firm and work completed according to plan.
However, the tender to upgrade the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant was awarded to corruption accused, ANC benefactor Edwin Sodi, whose consortium did half the work and was paid R292m, the full value of the contract.
The contract was cancelled in August last year for alleged poor performance and a forensic report subsequently declared the awarding of the tender irregular. Yesterday, city manager Johann Mettler said the first phase of the contract which was awarded to CMS, NJR and Blackhead was to be completed in May last year but it hit several delays.
“In general terms, we have to increase the capacity of Rooiwal from 110 (million litres) per day to 250-million per day. Together with all the new equipment, the quality of the effluent should be on standard. That should already be the case at the end of Phase 1,” said Mettler.
ActionSA’s councillor Thabang Sebotsane said the contractor who was responsible for refurbishing the Rooiwal water treatment plant was grossly lacking in the competence to conduct a contract of such magnitude.
“What brought this contract to our attention is the fact that this contractor had (previously) failed in one contract that was afforded to him by the government in another province and we really got shocked that while he was still in court over the failure of his previous contract, the City awarded him a contract of this nature and magnitude.
The contractor didn’t just lack the capacity, he also didnt have the money to commence this contract… The City paid for site establishment, this is one of that contraventions of the City’s supply chain management… About R71m was an upfront fee because he lacked resources.
“This was a joint venture of three entities all belonging to Edwin Sodi whose experience and name was never found in contractors who could accomplish this kind of work,” said Sebotsane.