Latest / Drive with John Perlman / Tshwane water crisis: Residents feel failed after mass gastrointestinal illness cases

Transcript

Tshwane water crisis: Residents feel failed after mass gastrointestinal illness cases · Drive with John Perlman

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You're with John Perlman on 702.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Right, let's focus our attention now on what's happening out
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: in Broncospray. You've heard in the news a terrible situation
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: out there with the water. A failure to chlorinate the
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: area's water supply has led to a massive outbreak of
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: serious gastrointestinal disease, particularly amongst young children. Mongezi Koko has
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: been out in the area. Politicians have been there, both
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: national officials and members, leading members of the Tswane Metro.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: What have they been saying and what have residents been
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: saying or asking in response? Mongezi, a very good afternoon
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: to you. What's the conversation principally today been about?
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: A very good afternoon to you, Dr. John. Well, it's
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: very similar to what we saw yesterday when there was
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: that inter-ministerial briefing along with the Khauteng Premier, Panyaz Ali Sufi,
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Antwane May and Nasipi Moya, really echoing those sentiments, these
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: being the officials on the ground. Now, Nasipi Moya spent
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: most of the day conducting oversights and sort of training
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: to residents in the affected areas, namely Zitobeni and Dark City,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: among others. Now, we did have a conversation with the
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: mayor on the sidelines of that dark city visit. This
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: is where she articulated the same sort of thing that
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: she spoke about yesterday, highlighting that residents should not be
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: utilizing the water coming from the taps. and that they
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: should refrain from completely using it only to for referring
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: only to um a previous instruction that was issued that
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: the residents can use the water to flush but she
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: did say that because it's such high risk they are
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: insisting that residents not use the water at all some
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: of the valves have been shut in major areas so
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: water is not accessed now we also did get a
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: chance to speak to some of the residents in these
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: affected areas And you'd imagine that the age range is
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: really large. We spoke to a three-year-old who was presenting
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: with some of those gastrointestinal illness symptoms, namely that of vomiting, diarrhea, nausea.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: And these were very, very common as we were at
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: the Zitobeini Clinic. And we also spoke to an 83-year-old
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: who indicated that he is already suffering from a number
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: of ailments and also is on chronic medication, speaking about
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: how this just exacerbates his situation and that he simply
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: fears for his life. Now, we also saw many developments
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: outside of this primary focus of this gastrointestinal outbreak with
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: the Gauteng Health Department sending some officials on the ground.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: And this is where we spoke to Steve Mabona, who
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: speaks for the department in the province, indicating that there
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: is a decline in patients arriving to public healthcare facilities
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: presenting with these symptoms. that many people are told that
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: once they show they need to go seek medical attention
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: as soon as possible just stressing that of course they
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: are seeing less and less patients coming presenting with these
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: symptoms or even finding traces of gastrointestinal illness in them.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: We also know now that the Department of Health and
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: the NICD is going to be responsible for giving and
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: painting out a broader picture surrounding the actual numbers and
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: where they stand right now making it clear that the
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: department sees people coming into the local healthcare facilities and
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: also sees a number of people walking out, which means
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: the number could fluctuate and they cannot just be giving
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: day-to-day updates, but instead need to consolidate those numbers so
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: they can give a more detailed outline as to what
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: is going on. I must also stress some of the
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: other developments include that all-important case that is going to
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: be laid by the EFF this afternoon against Mayor Nassi Pimoya.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: And also we saw the Department of Water and Sanitation
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: also alluding to the fact that they would be opening
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: up a case against the city of Tswane. This is
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: where Mayor Nassi Pimoya said that these are welcomed as
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: people need to be held accountable. Her ultimately saying that she...
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: is the top dog, essentially, of the city of Tswane
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: and has to return for some of these challenges. But
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: saying that her priority right now as the mayor is
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: to ensure that residents are safe and that water is restored. Now,
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: to update the listener just briefly on that chlorine matter
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: is that they have secured enough chlorine and the Bronco
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Spray Wastewater Treatment Plant is receiving the needed chlorine. She
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: also indicated that land water has been roped in in
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: an attempt to try and escalate the situation. And a
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: plan will be devised, hopefully by Friday, and then we'll
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: see when exactly the water will be restored.
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: Thank you so much. Mongesi Koko, EWN reporter. That very
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: detailed update from that particular part of Tswane, Bronco Sprite.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: It's 29 minutes to four.