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28 June 2023 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Sipplied
Dr Patricks Voua Otomo
Dr Patricks Voua Otomo says cholera is one of the most vicious threats to public health.

South Africa’s water challenges and dilapidating infrastructure could mean that cholera is here to stay. The recent cholera outbreaks in Gauteng and the Free State were a warning sign that the quality of the country’s water is questionable.

According to Dr Patricks Voua Otomo, Head of the Ecotoxicology Research Laboratory and Subject Head: Zoology and Entomology in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, we remain at risk of recurring and isolated outbreaks until the country’s failing water systems are addressed.

Systemic failure poses significant risks to public health

He warned that as long as the country’s wastewater treatment works are in a poor to critical state, they pose significant risks to public health and the environment.

“Our water systems are connected, and in South Africa one of our greatest challenges is poorly treated wastewater systems and highly polluted rivers. The current cholera outbreak isn’t happening in peculiar regions. It’s in areas where people consume questionable drinking water. The water we have is not of good quality, and people shouldn’t be consuming it,” he said.

Dr Otomo said that cholera is one of the most vicious threats to public health and an indicator of inequality, because bacteria may continue to thrive if the current conditions remain unchanged. “All it takes to get cholera is a drop of contaminated water in your system to fall sick or even die. In a country like ours, where many people experience water scarcity and rely on unsanitary water sources, they are vulnerable to being easily exposed to bacterial diseases such as cholera.”

Water treatment plants require urgent intervention

The current cholera outbreak could be subsiding, but he warns that it is only a matter of time before it resurfaces, or other waterborne diseases wreak havoc if things remain unchanged.

“We urgently need to address the failing infrastructure, improve the quality of our drinking water, and how water gets treated before being released into river streams – or we’ll remain at risk. Cholera is just one of many waterborne diseases. High E. coli levels were found on our beaches just recently, which is an indicator of other bacteria present in the water. We are really in trouble.”

News Archive

Standard Bank helps B.Iuris students prepare for profession
2009-05-19

 
The Centre for Financial Planning Law (CFPL) in the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently launched the Faculty of Law – Standard Bank partnership for final-year B.Iuris students. The partnership entails a R250 000 donation from Standard Bank to be used to support the financial planning programme of the B.Iuris degree and the lecturers teachingthese students. Standard Bank will also offer final-year B.Iuris students the opportunity to obtain work experience in their last semester. They will also undergo practical financial planning training. This will not only prepare them adequately for the profession of financial planning, but also provide them with the opportunity to be interviewed and appointed by the Standard Bank Group. At the launch of the partnership were, from the left: Mr Eli de Wet, Standard Bank Financial Services Consultancy, Head of Learning and Development; Mr Deon Nel, Standard Bank Regional Head; Remay Olivier, third-year B.Iuris student (best second-year B.Iuris student in her class); Prof. Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the UFS; and Adv. Wessel Oosthuizen, Director of the Centre for Financial Planning Law in the Department of Mercantile Law, UFS.
Photo: Stephen Collet

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