Greater Tzaneen municipality under fire for turning a deaf ear to water complaints

The Greater Tzaneen municipality in the Mopani district of Limpopo is in hot water after complaints that it has been giving people water contaminated with a e.Coli bacteria for months.

Some strains of the bacteria can cause severe food poisoning.

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On Monday, Tzaneen resident Chrisma Brekenkamp said she approached the municipality last month about the dirty water coming out of her taps.

“But it looks like it turned a deaf ear to my query because I later learnt the council had the water tested and found it was unfit for human consumption.”

She had the water tested at her own expense by specialists and it was confirmed as hazardous.

Brekenkamp said residents in Letsitele town and the clinic also complained of foul-smelling water.

“I am worried about this because since April, when the municipality became aware of the contaminated water, no preventative measures have been taken or notices given to residents that the water may be unfit for consumption,” she said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has since registered a complaint with the Green Scorpions.

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Municipal spokesperson Neville Ndlala said: “The municipality will enlist the services of an independent laboratory to conduct tests on the water of the resident in question to verify if the water is not in compliance with the SA National Standards 241, a water specification that deals with the minimum requirement for potable water to be considered safe for human consumption.

“The municipality conducts weekly laboratory tests at its water treatment plants and monthly tests on its water distribution network.

“The results show the municipality fully complies with SA National Standards 241.”