Health: Class action over cholera outbreak on cards

Government is facing a class action lawsuit for negligence stemming from the provision of contaminated water to Hammanskraal residents, resulting in the deaths of 23 people. Advocate Moafrika Wa Maila said he would institute a class action against the government on behalf of those who died, those admitted to hospital and other affected residents, reports Weekend Argus. Since 15 May, many people in the township have been admitted to Jubilee District Hospital after falling ill with diarrheal disease or gastrointestinal infections said to be caused by the consumption of contaminated water. The government has declared that there was a cholera outbreak in the area. Maila said one of the bases for the lawsuit would be previous reports with findings on the Hammanskraal water situation, including the 2021 report compiled by the Human Rights Commission after its public inquiry into the quality of water.