Durban — The eThekwini Municipality has reiterated that its water did not cause gastrointestinal infections in two rugby camps after two United Rugby Championship matches had to be postponed.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said they had noted with concern the misinformation on various media platforms that SA Rugby matches have been postponed due to two cases of gastrointestinal infections caused by our water.
“Our team of experts are constantly monitoring water to ensure that it is safe for consumption in line with international standards,” Kaunda said.
“These experts were able to obtain water samples from the Pearls Hotel to conduct water quality testing. The Beverly Hills Hotel management assured us that the hotel is doing its water quality monitoring and that its water is safe,” he said.
Kaunda said that additional samples were taken at reservoirs supplying the uMhlanga area and Moses Mabhida stadium which is adjacent to the Growthpoint Rugby Stadium.
“All the samples complied with the potable water standard and there was no indication that the sickness was linked to our water quality. This has been confirmed by the chief executive of the United Rugby Championship, Martin Anayi who said that there was a great possibility that the players brought the bug into the country,” Kaunda explained.
He called on residents to be vigilant and heed only public notices from the municipality’s communication platforms.
“Let me assure the residents of eThekwini that our water is tested frequently as per the South African National Standard for drinking water requirements,” Kaunda said.
On Tuesday, IOL Sport reported that Anayi came up with an eyebrow-raising explanation for the calling off of two matches at the weekend, the Sharks versus Ulster game in Durban and the Lions versus Glasgow in Johannesburg.
Almost nobody saw it coming that Ulster and Glasgow could have brought their sickness with them and most folks blamed the gastroenteritis outbreak on either Durban’s septic sea or on contaminated tap water.
But Anayi turned the speculation upside down when he told the media at a round table discussion that Glasgow and Ulster may have “brought the bugs” with them to South Africa.
“Early indications are that there were two separate bugs, one E. coli (Glasgow) and the other Norovirus (Ulster), and there are some indications that they actually brought the bugs with them. So, there’s quite a lot to go into …
“It is incredibly disappointing for everyone concerned that the matches didn’t take place,” Anayi said.
“The Sharks had all their Boks available and they would have been able to put on a big show on and off the field — they had a really fantastic fan zone (for their annual Sharkfest) and had really invested in it.
“The reality is we took medical advice. The view very clearly from an independent doctor was that we had two very sick squads. And there was no opportunity to delay the game by 24 to 48 hours.
“Our rules do state, however, that the games should be replayed which is why the matches are listed as having been postponed,” he said.
The investigation into the unsavoury episode has not been concluded, but if the findings back up Anayi’s suggestion that the tourists are at fault for their getting sick, the municipality will jump for joy — it was very much Durban’s sewerage crisis that was blamed by the public for the gastro epidemic.
Daily News