State denies reports that monkeys swim inside water tankers at Jubilee Hospital

The Gauteng department of health has denied social media reports that monkeys have been swimming inside water tankers meant to provide fresh water at the Jubilee District Hospital in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.

In a video which recently went viral, monkeys can be seen jumping in and out of fresh water tankers. The department's Motalatale Modiba on Tuesday clarified that the monkeys in the video were not swimming in one of their facilities.

"Jubilee District Hospital and other facilities in Gauteng do not use black water tankers. Gauteng department of health facilities uses green JoJo tankers and the water supplied by local authorities and water utilities to our hospitals and clinics is clean and can be used for human consumption and other services," Modiba said in a statement.

According to Modiba, the same video had been shared earlier in the year with people falsely claiming that the monkeys were using the water facilities at Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg.

Modiba condemned the spreading of false information via social media. "It is irresponsible for people to circulate, on social media, unverified content which spreads lies about water provision at facilities as this has a potential to cause panic among patients, their families and communities who depend on public health facilities for healthcare services."

Jubilee District Hospital has recently been at the forefront of dealing with the ongoing cholera outbreak which has gripped parts of northern Tshwane.

Last month, the facility opened a 300-bedded alternative building technology structure to deal with the influx of patients.

“The facility opened an additional ward, which is 35-bedded, to admit patients who are confirmed positive for cholera. In another ward, the facility admits patients who are suspected of cholera and still waiting for results, as a means of segregating them from other patients without gastrointestinal symptoms,” Modiba said.

The bacterial disease has claimed 23 lives, with 48 laboratory confirmed cases received at Jubilee District Hospital.

Last week, the City of Tshwane announced that it had paid more than R47m to 103 water tank service providers in 10 months, from June 2022 until April this year, in response to the water crisis in Hammanskraal and surrounding areas.