Daily Sun (June 3 2014) - FIRST the people pleaded, then they protested and finally they rioted to highlight their desperation.
Now children have died and the state has finally taken action.
BUT FOR TWO MOTHERS AND THEIR DEAD BABIES, THE HELP HAS COME TOO LATE - AND IT'S TOO LITTLE.
Speaking to Daily Sun, the mourning mothers from Bloemhof, North West said nothing the government can do will bring back their children, who died after drinking contaminated water.
Unemployed Kesebone Mogoregi (24), whose secondborn child died on Friday, told a tale of negligence that started a week before her son,
Onalenna, died after contracting
diarrhoea.
"I'm sad because my boy was not sick. I took him to the clinic last week on Monday when he started vomiting," said Kesebone.
"They told me the clinic had run out of medicine and I must come back on Thursday if he got worse. My son was transferred to the hospital in Klerksdorp on Friday morning, but he died on the way."
Onalenna was only a year old.
Kesebone appreciated the promise from the SA Social Security Agency to provide groceries for the family, but said she faced a more difficult problem.
"Onalenna's body is lying in a local mortuary and we want to bury him on Thursday," she said.
"But we have no money. We are waiting for our aunt to arrive today to discuss the problem, but my aunt doesn't work either. I don't know what plan she has."
The family survives on child grants.
Kebone's sister, Dimakatso, said she registered Onalenna on her funeral policy but the policy lapsed when she stopped paying because she is also unemployed.
They don't know how much it will cost for storage, the coffin and food for mourners.
The first victim of the diarrhoea outbreak, Boy Sehau, was buried on Thursday.
His mother, Kehapilwe Sehau (37), said if sewage had not leaked into the water supply her son would be alive.
"Different people came and made promises. I think it's only fair for the government to contribute to the family financially," she said.
- EFF leader in North West, Alfred Motsi, reportedly said they would provide legal assistance for the families to sue the state but Kehapilwe said she would not accept the offer.
- The office of North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo confirmed that municipal manager for Lekwa Teemane Municipality, Andrew Makuapan, has been suspended pending the outcome of a forensic investigation.
The preliminary report was to be presented to a special meeting of the provincial executive council yesterday.
A joint task team that includes the provincial task team and the Ministry of Water and Sanitation has been established to look into infrastructure, funding, governance and administrative problems facing the municipality.
This includes the sanitation spillage into the water pipes that resulted in contamination of the water.
Provincial spokesman Lesiba Kgwele said the task team will discuss ways to help the families.
See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....
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