Rustenburg - Tests have confirmed that water in Mahikeng in the North West is safe to drink, the water and sanitation department said on Thursday.
“We have taken three samples in Mahikeng and upon analysis they were found to be of acceptable standard according to blue drop requirements,” the department's provincial head Chadwick Lobakeng said in a statement.
The tests, which were conducted at the Midvaal Water Company, found no toxins in the water.
“The tests were conducted as a result of media reports that water in Mahikeng might have been poisoned by workers from the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality,” spokesman Sputnik Ratau said.
“Moreover, the 1/8department of health 3/8 has not treated or confirmed any cases relating to water poisoning in recent days,” he said.
A joint communication task team had been appointed to inform local residents about the status of water in the area.
“Furthermore, the North West provincial government has deployed a private security company and the police to guard all water reservoirs and boreholes in the entire Mahikeng area,” said Ratau.
The local municipality and the local government and human settlement department would consider alternative ways of providing water to villages around the city.
This was as the municipality faced water shortages due to strikes in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality.
“The department of water and sanitation together with the North West provincial government will continue to monitor the status of water in Mahikeng until the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality resumes operations,” said Ratau.
Sapa