Tshwane water crisis not new

When you warn your staff that, should they be caught drinking tap water, they will be fired, you realise how dire the situation is for not only residents, but also businesses operating in areas where water is substandard for consumption.

That’s exactly what Refractory Till, a manufacturer of products for the mining industry, told its staff two years ago, according to a Moneyweb report.

Its Ekandustria business gets its water from the City of Tshwane’s Bronkhorstspruit water treatment works.

It’s from here where residents drank contaminated water last month, leading to hundreds of people – many under the age of four – being treated for diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

The crisis is not averted, with taps in the industrial area still dry, costing many businesses dearly.

Owner Theresa Hammond told employees: “I banned my staff from drinking tap water two years ago. If I catch anyone drinking municipal water, I fire them.”

While Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya has “accepted political accountability” for the fiasco, interviews with businesses in the area shows the problem is not new.

According to chair of the Ekandustria Industrialists’ Association Paul Grobler, “the problems have persisted for years, regardless of which party is in power”.

It all begs the question: why did people, especially children, have to get sick before the issue was tackled?

And if the problem has persisted for many years, why is it only getting attention now?