Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
13 June 2023 2023 | 18:45 CAT

Image: TimesLIVE

Families who lost loved ones following a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal in Gauteng will join a class action lawsuit against the government. Relatives met with legal representatives who intended to institute a medical lawsuit against the implicated spheres of government and departments.

Hammanskraal religious leader Advocate Moafrika Wa Maila recently announced that he was assisting affected families with taking action against the government and has composed a team of twelve lawyers, six attorneys, and six Advocates has been composed.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, Advocate Wa Maila highlighted why he became involved in this legal fight on behalf of the bereaved families.

He said the government had unjustly served the Hamanskraal community and could not afford the legal action to sue the government.

“The cholera issue in Hamanskraal is as old as 2004, which the government has not attempted to resolve until 2023. The government must take responsibility and fulfil its duty to this matter,’ he says.

According to advocate Wa Maila, the South African Human Rights Commission declared in 2019 that the water in Hamanskraal is unhealthy for human consumption.

He argues the government has never been willing to resolve the people’s problems.

“The negligence of the government causes a cross violation of human rights has to be taken into consideration and holds the government liable to compensate every loss of life in Hamanskraal,” he says.

The recent cholera outbreak claimed 29 lives in Hammanskraal. However, Advocate Wa Maila suggests the reporting of the government is propaganda as accurate stats have not been released.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie.