Pretoria - As the death toll from cholera rose to 24 in Hammanskraal, Tshwane, bikers from the South African Female Riders Forum and Triumph Motorcycles descended on the township at the weekend to distribute millions of litres of water to the residents.
They were among many volunteers from various charities who donated water to locals.
More than 500 families benefited from 1.5 litres of water after an overall amount of close to R340 000 was spent to bring the idea to fruition.
Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Judith Tshabalala, who was present, thanked the bikers and Triumph Motorcycles for their generosity and for coming together to help the people in need.
She said at least 1.5 million litres of water were donated, and she urged other organisations to follow suit.
“As a country we need to learn to stop the kind of bickering that we have seen in the last while, and be united in a common cause to alleviate water challenges. We need to take our political caps out and focus on the task at hand, and assist our people.
“We need all hands on deck, and these bikers have shown us how it is done by uniting, putting together their limited resources, dedicating their time, and leaving the comfort of their families in Mpumalanga, North West and all over Gauteng to lend a helping hand here in Hammanskraal,” Tshabalala said.
The bikers’ leader, Sully Motsweni, said: “After deliberations as bikers, we approached Minister Senzo Mchunu and he welcomed our initiative with appreciation. He said he would not be with us on this drive, but would not stop our work. In turn, he delegated his deputy, Ms Judith Tshabalala, to support us. We appreciate the support that has been shown by the Department of Water and Sanitation, particularly Minister Mchunu and Deputy Minister Tshabalala, who embraced us.”
A biker said: “We are committed to helping our communities, and we are proud to partner with the South African Female Riders Forum to deliver much-needed water to the people of Hammanskraal. We hope this donation will help to ease the burden of the cholera outbreak and make a difference in the lives of the community.”
Al Imdaad Foundation has also taken part in helping out the Hammanskraal community by supplying water to people using a water tanker for deliveries at bulk filling points. Five litre bottled drinking water has also been delivered to schools, homes for the aged, and care facilities.
“The Al-Imdaad Foundation was activated by the Tshwane water management as well as the donors, to go and respond to the ongoing water crisis in Hammanskraal. We are responding with two superlinks, which is bottled water, and then we also involved local traditional authorities,” the organisation said in a statement.
Also coming on board with humanitarian relief were Doctors Without Borders, which has played a key role in the response since May 26, guiding the establishment of a two-bed cholera treatment unit in the community of Kanana. The unit had 112 patients and 50 cases in the first 48 hours of its existence, climbing to 62 cases in the following 48 hours.
Dr Albert Leone, who is leading Doctors Without Border’s medical team in the cholera response, said: “The unit is making a difference by giving community members access to immediate care, and by taking some of the burden away from the referral facility.”
Doctors Without Borders donated 1 000 kits comprising 10 oral rehydration solution tablets, five soap bars, 120 Aquatabs (enough to chlorinate 40 litres of water a day for a month), one 10-litre bucket with lid and tap for hand washing, and one jerrycan with lid for potable water storage.
Today, Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu is expected to release the interim blue, green and No Drop Watch Reports, a regulatory tool and incentive based programme to improve municipal drinking water quality, wastewater management, as well as water conservation and demand management.
Pretoria News