Tshwane MMC for Water and Sanitation, Mr Abel Tau, stood by the water tests conducted by the City of Tshwhane, that the water supplied in Hammanskraal is safe for human consumption.
He said the City will engage the Department of Water and Sanitation to run new tests by Thursday to reach consensus on the Hammanskraal water quality.
He said this after the Gauteng Human Rights Commission and the Department of Water and Sanitation declared the water in Hammanskraal not fit for consumption during a follow up visit today at the Temba Water Treatment Plant.
The visit follows complaints made to the Humans Right Commission by residents of Temba last year that the City of Tshwane has infringed on their rights by providing water that could be contaminated and not safe for drinking.
Gauteng Humans Rights Commission Provincial Manager, Mr Buang Jones, said the revelation are a serious concern and the commission will consider all available options to ensure that the rights of the community are protected and also to hold the city accountable because they are the implementing agent.
“We will have to exercise the power vested in the Commission by legislation to investigate human rights violations and to seek recourse, in this case, the recourse will be to ensure safe drinking water for the people of Hammanskraal.
“We will continue to engage the City because we are also concerned that our previous correspondence has not been responded to.
“The City keeps on insisting that the tests they ran confirmed the Hammanskraal water safe, but we are concerned of the quality of water that we see coming out of the taps, said Mr Jones.
Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation, Mr Sputnik Ratau, confirmed that there is a problem with the water in Hammanskraal.
“The department has discovered that the water in Hammanskraal has an odd smell, the colour is not right and the quality is problematic,” he said.
