Robert Marawa weighs in on Nelson Mandela Bay water contamination

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Popular sports and radio personality Robert Marawa has shared his thoughts on water contamination in Nelson Mandela Bay, saying “people need to find other hobbies instead of toying with people’s lives”.

In a statement on Monday night, the municipality said quality tests found the water had deteriorated and certain microbiological limits were exceeded.

It advised residents to boil their water. Mayor Eugene Johnson said those who don’t want to boil their water can add one teaspoon of bleach to 20 litres of water.

“You will find that when you have poured the bleach into the water, the water will still be a bit brown but you can drink it, and there is no health risks to that,” she added.

As citizens flocked to social media to react to the mayor’s advice, Marawa shared his frustration.

“Really now! People need to find other hobbies instead of toying with people’s lives,” he said.

A one-year-old boy from the area died last week after suffering complications from an E. coli infection.

The advice to boil or purify water has been given until further notice, and comes after the municipality confirmed that tap water may pose a risk to human health.

“It is through this [water quality test] process that the municipality has come to detect failures in water compliance with SANS standards. This means that, for now, the water coming out of our distribution system could present a risk to human health if ingested,” it said.

The municipality said low dam levels and fluctuating reservoir levels in recent weeks had wreaked havoc with the system, but it was working urgently on a turnaround strategy.

HeraldLIVE reported that the EFF in the province has threatened to lay criminal complaints against water directorate officials and the DA has approached the public protector and Human Rights Commission over the crisis.