More than 500 people ill in South Africa as water quality questioned

More than 500 people in two regions of South Africa have received treatment for gastrointestinal illnesses. East of Pretoria, 408 residents, mainly children under four, suffered diarrhoea and abdominal pain after a treatment plant distributed unchlorinated water for nearly three weeks; the water also came from a river polluted by sewage. Residents have been told not to drink tap water or use it for household needs, even after boiling, while water tankers and aid organizations provide safe supplies. At least 111 Rhodes University students in the Eastern Cape were also treated, and political parties are demanding resignations after an investigation found municipal services had not warned residents of the health risk.