Municipalities alerted after E. coli found in school drinking water

 By Thapelo Molefe

A number of municipalities are under scrutiny after E. coli contamination was detected in drinking water at schools within their jurisdictions, raising concerns about compliance with basic water quality standards.

The affected municipalities include Chief Albert Luthuli in Mpumalanga; Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Enoch Mgijima, Makana, Sundays River Valley and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in the Eastern Cape; Matjhabeng and Nketoana in the Free State; Mpofana and Umvoti in KwaZulu-Natal; and the City of Cape Town in the Western Cape.

ALSO READ: Mkhwanazi says police must stay combat-ready as 2,500 join Durban run

The findings come from the WaterCAN Schools Water Testing Project, which identified 20 schools with dangerously high levels of E. coli in their drinking water, out of 72 schools that submitted test results.

WaterCAN said the contamination points to possible faecal pollution and raised concerns about the safety of water supplied to public institutions, particularly