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Cholera toll rises amid accusations of blame
SAPA
2000-10-27

The cholera outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal has now claimed 31 lives and the number of cases is rising steadily, amid accusations of blame. One such is a claim by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union that the epidemic could be related to the government's growth, employment and redistribution programme.

The cholera outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal has now claimed 31 lives and the number of cases is rising steadily, amid accusations of blame. 

One such is a claim by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union that the epidemic could be related to the government's growth, employment and redistribution programme. 

Nehawu's national spokesperson, Moloantoa Molaba, said that according to information received from the Rural Development Network, a non-government organisation, the Gear strategy of cost recovery for social services required people to pay for previously free and clean water. He said rural communities couldn't afford the service and began using water from polluted streams in the densely populated area. Even if there is no cholera found in the water intially, this is no guarantee that there is no cholera risk. Iain Thirsk of Ngwelezame hospital in Empangeni, has remarked that it took about 2 months after the cholera outbreak before any cholera was found in the area's  rivers. 

The death toll reached 31 on 23/10 after a resident of the Reservoir Hills informal settlement just outside Durban died in Addington hospital.  The provincial health department said 86 new cases of cholera had been reported since 22/10, taking the total number of reported cases to 3 636. 

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has said that there are 11 fully operational rehydration centres, open 24 hours a day, to help affected people. Also, 96 water tankers were supplying clean water to communities. 
(Source: SAPA, 24/10/00)

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