Tshwane orders checks on private water tankers in Bronkhorstspruit
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on IOL
The City of Tshwane requires private water-tanker operators to have their vehicles and water quality checked before supplying residents affected by the Bronkhorstspruit crisis. Mayor Nasiphi Moya announced the checks as residents suffer gastrointestinal illness after water was left unchlorinated, according to the municipality.
The measure is intended to subject private carriers to the same quality and safety standards as municipal tankers and contracted providers. Moya also asked the Tshwane Metro Police Department to escort municipal water tankers, following complaints about missed deliveries and deviations from planned routes, IOL reports.
South African Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina said on Monday that 833 cases of gastrointestinal illness were linked to the Bronkhorstspruit water crisis. Three patients were in hospital at the time of her statement. The crisis followed a lack of chlorine to treat water at the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment plant, according to IOL.
The checks on carriers follow the opening on 24 October of a municipal investigation into three weeks of unchlorinated water in Bronkhorstspruit. On 25 October, an article by our newsroom also reported that contamination had left the town without a safe water supply.
