KZN MECs for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs – Nomusa Dube-Ncube and Health – Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo today urged the residents of Abaqulusi to exercise caution even as cholera has been ruled out in the area and as further tests are being done to establish the cause of intestinal infections in the area.
The two MEC’s visited communities in Vryheid to launch a massive electrification initiative that will see close to 2000 households being provided with electricity. They used the occasion to give an update to the community on the ongoing probe into the source of the Diarrhea cases that have seen some of the community members being admitted to hospital. “We have now concluded that cholera is not the cause of health issues experienced recently by local residents. Suggestions that local water is unsafe are also unfounded at this stage as further tests are being conducted but caution is in order in the interim,” said Dube-Ncube and Dhlomo in a joint statement.
The Provincial Government has been aware of numerous instances of intestinal infections at Abaqulusi and the area is being monitored by health experts. The first laboratory results have conclusively ruled out cholera and other tests are still underway. These will be formally publicised as soon as they become available.
“In the meantime, we urge the local residents to exercise extra caution while maintaining the highest standards of personal and domestic hygiene. When it comes to water, as a precaution, residents are encouraged to boil all local water that is intended for home use and particularly consumption,” said Dube-Ncube and Dhlomo.
The two MECs today jointly visited the area to monitor the progress their respective departments have made on the ground since the story of allegedly contaminated local water hit the news headlines. Dube-Ncube and Dhlomo met with the local residents who were encouraged to work with the authorities to establish the cause of intestinal infections in the area.
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