The Newcastle local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has allayed fears that its tap water is unsafe to drink, saying the two circulating voice notes are spreading misinformation.
The assurance comes as late yesterday two different voice notes started doing rounds claiming that the Chelmsford-Ntshingwayo dam which supplies most areas in the Amajuba district has been poisoned.
According to the voice notes that have since been flagged as “fake news” meant to create unnecessary panic, the dam was poisoned by Pakistani nationals “as a way of revenging their removals from the spaza shops sector.”
The municipality, which is home to over 1 million people, together with the SAPS, Uthukela Water and Ntshingwayo Dam Personnel from the Department of Water and Sanitation sprung to action.
The Municipal Manager of Newcastle, Zamani Mcineka said they found the voice notes to be misleading the public.
“Considering the above, the Municipality denies such claims with the contempt that it deserves. The Municipality would like to categorically place it on record without reservations that the rumours are not factual and an act of mischief and propaganda.
“Newcastle residents are urged to ignore the circulating voice notes and social media propaganda aimed at causing a lot of undue panic amongst Newcastle Residents.
The Municipality prioritizes the needs of its citizens and acknowledges that access to clean and safe water is essential. We condemn any attempts to spread misinformation that may cause unnecessary concern among our residents,” Mcineka said.
Mcineka pleaded with those circulating the rumors to desist from doing so.
“The individuals responsible for spreading these voice notes and their motives remain unknown. However, the Municipality warns the perpetrators and instigators to desist from further fuelling these misleading rumours.
“The Municipality urges the citizens of Newcastle to refrain from sharing false information as this will give rise to unnecessary disenchantment among Newcastle Residents. Further, such mischievous people should know that their actions constitute an element of treason which is a punishable offence in terms of the laws of the country,” he added.
Furthermore, Mcineka said In order to give confidence to the residents, he has instructed the user department to urgently send water samples to the accredited laboratory for testing. And the results will be made public.
A similar voice note was also doing rounds in Carolina (Chief Albert Luthuli local municipality) in the nearby Mpumalanga province, forcing the authorities to ask residents to boil water before drinking it.
The municipality has since instituted an urgent investigation into the matter.
Umngeni-Uthukela Water Board, which supplies water to most urban centres like Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Stanger, and Port Shepstone, has also dismissed fears that the Midmar dam has been poisoned and its water is unsafe to use.
It said the voice notes doing rounds are fake and causing unnecessary panic.
