Hammanskraal residents dismiss SIU probe as cheap politicking, say taps still run dirty

Hamaanskraal residents say they’re still not convinced of the government’s commitment to ensure that safe and clean tap water is provided to the community.

Four months since a deadly cholera outbreak claimed the lives of at least 31 people in the area, residents say brown and murky water continues to run from their taps.

Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised a Special Investigating Unit probe into irregularities in the City of Tshwane, which may have contributed to the cholera outbreak.

Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant is among the entities being investigated.

Three years ago, the City of Tshwane awarded a R295 million tender to State Capture-implicated businessman, Edwin Sodi, for the refurbishment of the plant, which has seen little improvement since.

The plant has been fingered as a potential source of the dirty water consumed by residents.

YNews spoke to Hamaanskraal local, Kamogelo Stock, whose grandmother succumbed to the deadly water-borne disease.

She believes the SIU investigation is no more than cheap politicking on the part of politicians desperate to garner votes in the upcoming national and provincial elections.

Claims of maladministration and corruption in the City of Tshwane are among the focus of the SIU’s investigations.

The probe will also zoom in on allegations of unlawful and improper conduct that took place between the 1st of January 2018 and the 22nd of September 2023.

SIU spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, says they will also investigate any unauthorised, irregular, or wasteful expenditure incurred by the municipality or the State.