CHOLERA STILL A THREAT TO KZN COMMUNITIES
by Sne Makhanya and Sapa, Sapa, 13 July 2006
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Distribution of water, reliability of water supply, water storage and vandalism are problems still facing communities hit by a cholera outbreak at the end of 2000, scientists said yesterday.
A report released by the Human Sciences Research Council in Durban revealed that proper water supply in South Africa’s poorest communities has improved. However, there are still grave risks that could see further outbreaks of water-related diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
The outbreak claimed the lives of 265 people in five provinces and 120 000 others were infected.
KwaZulu-Natal bore the brunt of the outbreak and the World Health Organisation claimed that it was the biggest cholera outbreak in Africa during that period.
The report, titled “Still paying the price: Revisiting the cholera epidemic of 2000-2001 in South Africa”, was based on research carried out mostly in the rural settlement of Nqutshini, near Empangeni, and the semi-urban settlement in Nkobongo, 45 km north of Durban.
HSRC research director Dr David Hemson said there is a lack of drinking water “and then when it is provided there are interruptions”.
He said the urban poor were the first to benefit from the government’s free basic water policy due to the ease with which water infrastructure could be set up.
However, in rural areas there have been delays providing a service and, when implemented, residents told researchers the supply is often interrupted.
The report said this leads to residents storing water for long periods in unsanitary containers.
Hemson cited vandalism as a major problem facing the delivery of piped water.
Also, Nkobongo residents were asked for a R70 deposit and many could not afford it or the subsequent R20 tokens to get water.
Hemson said he had visited a water treatment plant in one community that was operated “by a part-time employee”. There was no engineer to ensure that it was operating properly.
During the field work carried out in 2005, researchers also discovered that some residents in Nqutshini, through which the Mhlatuze River flows, believed that the cholera outbreak was caused by whites fearful of black numerical superiority. Others believed that witchcraft had been responsible.
Hemson said education messages regarding water health are not reaching the poor. “We need a reliable water supply and we need more rigorous water education.”
The study suggested that there was a clear relationship between cost recovery and indifferent management leading to interruption in supply and vandalism.
Although the health care management and control of cholera was improving, health promotion was still required as there was stigma linked to the epidemic.