Ramaphosa apologises to Hammanskraal residents

President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted that government has failed the people of Hammanskraal.

Ramaphosa made admission when he addressed community members in the north of Tshwane earlier on Thursday.

The President visited the community a month after the deadly water-borne illness was first detected.

During his opening remarks, Ramaphosa asked for forgiveness.

He admitted that the country’s Constitution clearly states that South Africans have the right to clean drinking water and they, as government, have failed to deliver the vital resource to the community.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and the City of Tshwane Mayor, Cilliers Brink, were among those accompanying the President.

Community members in Hammanskraal lashed out at Ramaphosa for making light of their plight.

This after the President suggested that if they simply washed their hands and boiled their drinking water – they would prevent the spread of cholera.

The cause of the deadly water-borne disease is yet to be identified.

Last month, the City of Tshwane said tests at several sites had detected no cholera in the piped water supply.

The death toll from the cholera outbreak in the country currently stands at 31, with Gauteng having recorded the highest number of fatalities.

Last week, Ramaphosa admitted that government needed to respond to the cholera outbreak, with the same level of urgency as it does with the electricity crisis.

The load shedding crisis has caused massive concern among business investors across the country.