Cape Town - Residents of Strandfontein are angry with the City after discovering that the water they have been complaining about for months was contaminated.
Strandfontein Ratepayers and Residents Association chairperson Mario Oostendurp said: “For the past few months we have been receiving complaints about the water from residents saying that it smells and that it tastes funny. I have been complaining to the ward councillor, Elton Jansen, about it but he has been ignoring us.”
Oostendurp said he knew of at least 20 residents being admitted to hospital because of the poor water quality.
On Friday, the City announced that it was busy investigating the water quality. It also said that water tankers were distributed to Strandfontein to provide access to potable water until the situation was resolved.
“No one has taken responsibility for this, no one is focusing on the health and well-being of the residents,” said Oostendurp.
Jansen, did not respond to queries at the time of publication.
The City’s Health Department advised residents in the Strandfontein area to refrain from drinking tap water, and advised that the water should be boiled for one minute and left to cool before drinking it.
Mayco member for community Services and Health Zahid Badroodien said: “Initial water quality results have been received, but a second set of results was awaited to confirm the safety of the water for consumption.”
STOP COCT founder Sandra Dickson said: “We're in full support of the actions taken by residents to resolve this unacceptable water contamination issue with the City.”
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