South Africans blame and chase away mayor over rise in cholera cases

Tshwane City Mayor Cilliers Brink was chased away by some irate South African youths when he visited a hospital in the northern part of Pretoria as they blame him for the surge in cholera cases.

The youths believe that the mayor’s inability to provide clean water is the cause of the 15 cholera deaths recorded in the Gauteng province of South Africa.

The incident occurred on May 22, 2023, as the mayor was expected to join government officials at the Jubilee District Hospital to assess the situation in the wake of the cholera outbreak in the area.

BBC.com reports that he was rather met with rage and disgust as residents angrily demanded clean water outside the hospital.

Cilliers Brink was forced to leave the premises as the enraged youth ambushed cars outside the hospital.

37 people have been hospitalised and 15 dead since the announcement of an outbreak of cholera in Hammanskraal was made on Sunday, May 21, 2023, by the health department of Gauteng province.

Residents of Hammanskraal and its surrounding areas are being warned to desist from drinking tap water.

ABJ/YNA