Eskom shut down the construction of its Medupi power station in the country’s Limpopo province after a cholera scare, the company’s spokesperson Fani Zulu said on Friday.
Zulu said 61 workers had fallen ill since Thursday, displaying symptoms similar to those of cholera, and tests were being done to confirm the cause.
If confirmed as cholera, it would be the first sign that the disease which has killed more than 1 800 people in neighbouring Zimbabwe was having an impact on South Africa’s industry and economy. The outbreak started in August last year.
”There are 61 workers who are affected and under observation … there is no confirmation yet to the cause, but the samples are in the lab as we speak and we expect something from the lab by tomorrow,” Zulu said.
Limpopo, which is adjacent to the Zimbabwean border, has so far recorded 1 634 cases of cholera in the province since the outbreak started, the South African Press Agency quoted the department of health as saying.
Medupi, a project which employs about 3 000 workers, is expected to be completed in the first half of 2014 and is seen as vital to ease a power shortage in South Africa that has affected major industries, including mining.
Zulu said it was not clear yet when the site would reopen.
”We will check tomorrow and assess the situation … but all the indications are that it will be possible to reopen the construction site on Monday,” he said. – Reuters