Angry SA Locals Chase Away Mayor As Cholera Cases Rise

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Irate South Africans chased away a mayor on Monday, blaming him for failing to provide clean water as deaths from cholera rose to 15 in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.

Tshwane City Mayor Cilliers Brink was expected to join officials from the national government to assess the situation in the wake of the cholera outbreak in the area.

But tempers flared outside the Jubilee District Hospital in Hammanskraal area as angry residents confronted him, demanding clean water, local media reported.

The disgruntled residents ambushed cars outside the hospital, forcing the mayor off the premises. They accused him of not taking their health seriously.

The health department in Gauteng province declared a cholera outbreak on Sunday in Hammanskraal, north of capital Pretoria.

Almost 100 people have been to hospital, and 37 have been admitted to wards, the city government said on Monday, warning residents of Hammanskraal and surrounding areas not to drink tap water.

By: BBC