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The Human Rights Commission in Limpopo says it will prioritise the complaint laid by residents of Seshego against the Polokwane Municipality for failing to provide safe drinking water, because of the seriousness of the case.
Residents say, despite assurances by Polokwane Mayor John Mpe, the water coming out of their taps is dirty and causes stomach cramps, runny tummy and nausea, with some illnesses dating back to early December 2025.
In December, Mpe visited Seshego and declared the water safe after drinking from a tap. But last week, when Health-e News visited the area, the water coming out of the taps was still brown.
The community of Third House section in Zone2 on the northeastern side of Seshego say they have experienced health complications after consuming tap water.
Pensioner Maria Matlala has been using tap water to take her high blood pressure medication. Because of her poor eyesight, she couldn’t spot the discolouration in the water.
“I started having an unexplained headache and running tummy and told a neighbour. That’s when the youth in the neighbourhood alerted me to the issue with the water,” Matlala tells Health-e News. “I didn’t think much of it and never went to a health facility for checkups. The pains continued for a week and now have eased after buying over-the-counter medication from a local pharmacy.”
Adding insult to injury, residents claim they pay exorbitant monthly water bills despite the ongoing contamination.
Basic human rights
“The Seshego water case will be allocated to a qualified investigator who will run the tests on the alleged contaminated water. The investigator will determine whether or not the water system is compliant, the safety of the water, and other challenges thereof,” says the Commission’s Advocate Munee Badantswang, speaking to residents demonstrating in front of the municipal offices on February 20.
Protesters wanted to highlight the seriousness of the ongoing water crisis, bringing bottles of discoloured water collected from their taps.
Johannes Thelele, a member of the community water crisis task team, says they have been sent from pillar to post by the municipality.
“We decided to picket at the municipal building where the mayor, the municipal manager, and other top officials are. We are in deep agony and frustrated as our fundamental human rights are being trampled upon by this arrogant leadership,” says Thelele.
Community leader and member of the ward committee, Mpho Boshego, says they have tried on several occasions to meet with Oupa Maakamedi, the member of the mayoral committee in charge of what and sanitation, to no avail.
“Maakamedi is always reluctant to address these pertinent issues, even this serious water dilemma. We have made several phone calls and WhatsApp text messages, but nothing positive came out of that,” Boshego says.
“After realising that the municipality is not committed to listening to our concerns, we decided to enlist the services of Chapter 9 institutions. We went to the provincial offices of the Human Rights Commission in Polokwane, where we registered our case.”
In his defence, Maakamedi says: “I have dispatched my team to the township to monitor the situation. I can guarantee that it will get the necessary attention. I will give feedback on this matter within seven working days.”
Need to confirm source of illness
Dr Matome Modipane, a senior lecturer who specialises in water treatment processes and technology at the University of Limpopo, has advised the municipality to work closely with the provincial Departments of Health and Water and Sanitation to establish and confirm if indeed the contaminated water has caused the ongoing crisis and related diseases.
“The Department of Health must investigate the patient’s medical records and advise the municipality if the patient’s illness has symptoms of gastrointestinal infections, severe diarrhoea, and nausea caused by drinking contaminated water,” he says.
“The municipality must also investigate the water quality against its compliance level with all national and international standards and regulations. They must identify non-compliant water quality parameters for all regulated and non-regulated quality parameters, and also establish if those parameters have the potential to cause the reported water-related diseases in Seshego.”
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“Finally, they must also trace the sources and pathways into various drinking water sources to come up with remedial and preventative measures. The municipality must also commission an independent study to investigate the root cause of water-related diseases,” says Modipane.
Municipal actions
The municipality issued a media statement on February 20, confirming reports of discoloured water affecting certain households in Seshego. Spokesperson Thipa Selala said the municipality has implemented precautionary measures to protect public health and ensure the integrity of the water supply.
“These measures include expanding the water sampling network, confirming the quality of the source water, intensifying technical investigations and isolating affected sections of the distribution network where necessary,” the statement reads.
“Residents in the affected areas have been strongly advised not to use the discoloured water as a safety precaution until laboratory results from collected samples have been finalised and communicated. In the meantime, water tankers will be deployed to provide temporary relief to residents in Seshego.”
Selala says the municipality will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide regular updates as more information becomes available. – Health-e News
