Staff reporter
About 3 400 people in KwaZulu- Natal have been infected with cholera over the past six weeks, prompting a visit by Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Ronnie Kasrils and Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang to the province.
The Democratic Alliance’s Graham McIntosh said there had been 30 infections in the town of Weenen by Tuesday and Estcourt hospital was likely to be “flooded with patients”.
He called on Kasrils and Tshabalala-Msimang to clearly spell out how they intended dealing with the crisis. In the past four years cholera, which had not historically been a problem in KwaZulu-Natal, had become endemic and was out of control. He questioned the accuracy of government mortality statistics.
Kasrils had been charged by the Cabinet with tackling cholera and given “plenty of money” to do so. It was now a delivery question, McIntosh said.
He said pilot projects on the South Coast and at Nqutu, involving the building of improved pit latrines, had yielded good results. The lessons should now be extended to all KwaZulu-Natal.