The Vryheid Herald says it can confirm that fetid, black clumps floating in the Klipfontein dam are definitely faeces.

According to the newspaper, a sample sent to the laboratory for testing revealed 5880 cholera forming units per 100ml of water.

Unless AbaQulusi municipality had adjusted its water purification methods to suit the high levels of pollutant, this means that the quality of the drinking water could have been compromised.

Speaking to the newspaper Head of Technical Services, Vasan Chetty, said it was possible to purify water directly out of your toilet for consumption, and expressed confidence in the quality of the water distributed to residents from the purification plant.

When questioned about the safety of the water, Gibson Gumede from Water and Sanitation said his department was completely unaware that sewage had been flowing into the Klipfontein dam, and promised that AbaQulusi municipality would have to answer for this at the water crisis meeting taking place in Ulunndi on Friday 05 February.

Reliable sources indicated that the reason the Bhekuzulu sewerage pump took more than two months to repair was because municipal officials were on leave; however, this allegation has not been confirmed by the municipality.

– Vryheid Herald (Estella Naicker)