Panic is spreading across several towns in KwaZulu-Natal following a new wave of voice notes circulating on social media, alleging the poisoning of local water supplies. The latest claims centre on Ezakheni, near Ladysmith, where a voice note suggests the reservoir supplying the area has been poisoned.
Recently, Newcastle faced a similar incident when a voice note claimed men had been seen poisoning Ntshingwayo (Chelmsford) Dam.
In response, the Newcastle Municipality conducted immediate inspections of the water supply and condemned the circulation of the voice note as an act of treason.
Now, the uThukela District Municipality finds itself grappling with a comparable crisis. A voice note being shared widely on social media claims that water in the Ezakheni area has turned blue and that several children have died after consuming it. However, the uThukela District Municipality’s Communications Unit has firmly dismissed these allegations as baseless and urged the public to treat the voice note as fake news designed to incite unnecessary fear.
“It claims that the reservoir which supplies water to the Ezakheni area of KwaMazithanqaza has been poisoned, hence the water has turned blueish in colour. It also claims that there are several children who have since died from consuming this poisonous water,” stated the municipality’s Communications Unit.
The municipality assured residents there is no truth to the claims and urged the community to refrain from sharing such misinformation, which only serves to fuel panic.
“The said voice note is purely anecdotal and blatant lies that seek to cause undue panic. The person responsible for spreading such misinformation remains largely unknown and his motives behind it are unclear. The community is therefore urged to refrain from sharing false information as this will give rise to unnecessary panic amongst the residents,” the Communications Unit emphasised.
Highlighting the inaccuracies of the claims, the municipality clarified that no reservoir exists in Ezakheni, C Section, as alleged. Furthermore, efforts to locate families purportedly affected by the supposed poisoning have yielded no results. “We have tried to locate the families whose children ‘allegedly died’ because of water poisoning but without success as nobody was aware of the ‘said incident’,” the municipality explained.
To reassure residents, the municipality confirmed that its laboratory officials regularly conduct water analyses and sampling at all plants, reservoirs, and reticulation points. “The results are available, and they indicate that water is safe and effective for human consumption,” the Communications Unit affirmed.
Furthermore, the municipality expressed concern over the potential consequences of such false claims, not just in creating panic but also in inspiring harmful actions.
“Our main concern, as the municipality, is that it is clear the voice note only intends to spread lies to create panic. But at the very same time, we are equally worried that this might tempt another foolish person to actually poison our reservoirs, which might lead to real loss of life or lives,” the Communications Unit warned.
The municipality reiterated its commitment to prioritising the health and safety of residents and emphasised that access to clean and safe water is a fundamental right. It also reminded the public that spreading misinformation of this nature is a serious offence. “People are warned that spreading such misinformation is tantamount to an element of treason which is a capital offence and punishable in terms of the laws of the country,” the Communications Unit added.
As authorities work to address the issue, the identity and motives of those responsible for spreading the false claims remain unknown. What are your thoughts on this situation?
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Comments 1
These sic sods that cause panic about the water will hopefully be caught and jailed have they got nothing to do with their miserable lives than cause panic and concerns