Note to editors: You can download sound clips in English and Xhosa from DA Mayoral Candidate, Cllr Luvuyo Sizani.
The gastrointestinal illness outbreak at Rhodes University demands an urgent, transparent response to protect students, staff, and the wider Makhanda community.
With at least 111 cases reported by the Eastern Cape Department of Health, and numbers expected to grow, residents deserve answers about the safety of their water and the steps being taken to safeguard their health.
The department said preliminary water testing at the university’s Microbiology Laboratory detected E. coli, high coliform counts, and low chlorine levels. While the cause of the illnesses and any connection to these findings remain under investigation, these are serious warning signs that require immediate precautionary action.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected, and we thank the healthcare workers assisting them.
Students should be concentrating on their studies, and families should be able to trust that the water they use for drinking, cooking, and washing is safe.
Makana Municipality says independent testing is underway and has pointed to routine tests on 5 October that returned negative results for E. coli. Those earlier results cannot establish whether the water is safe today.
The municipality must publish the latest verified results, identify where and when samples were collected, and explain what corrective action they are taking.
I have written to Executive Mayor, Cllr Yandiswa Vara, requesting the municipality and health authorities provide daily public updates, clear guidance on water use, and access to safe drinking water wherever necessary while we await their test results.
The response must also actively assess surrounding communities, schools, and clinics to establish the full extent of the outbreak.
Makhanda has endured years of water interruptions and deteriorating infrastructure. Although a proper investigation must establish the source of this outbreak, the ANC-led municipality’s responsibility to provide a reliable, safe water supply is beyond dispute.
As mayoral candidate, my priority is a municipality that maintains its infrastructure, consistently monitors water quality, and communicates promptly when public health may be at risk.
Residents deserve competent leadership that gets the basics right. In less than two weeks’ time, residents have a choice. They can stop the chaos and vote for service delivery by voting for the DA.
The DA will continue to fight for accountability and practical action to get Makana working for all its residents.