Is a cholera outbreak looming in Gauteng’s townships?

Three individuals who participated in a baptism ceremony in the Jukskei River flowing through Gauteng’s Diepsloot and Alexandra townships fell ill with a disease many of South Africa’s well-off suburbanites have not been exposed to. Sewage in these areas flows in the streets, and many residents consume food near the filth as reported by News 24.

Human waste, which contains cholera-causing bacteria, flows openly because the areas are not linked to the sanitation systems connected to suburban homes.

Cholera spreads when infected individuals eat or drink food or water contaminated with faecal bacteria, and in cases where it becomes serious, diarrhoea, thirst, and vomiting can occur.

While South Africa has had ten confirmed cholera cases since February, all from Gauteng’s townships, experts are worried that poor infrastructure in areas like Diepsloot and Alexandra could cause large cholera outbreaks.

The concern is that contaminated river water may cause outbreaks if it becomes the primary water source.

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