It’s still too early to declare the cholera outbreak a disaster.

Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu says that authorities are treating the matter as an emergency.

He was speaking as 22 people have succumbed to the disease thus far.

The cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal highlighted a long-standing problem in the community as they’ve been battling for clean water and sanitation for nearly a decade.

It’s been focused on the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant, which has been running under capacity for years.

But the Tshwane Municipality says that it cannot afford the almost R 3 billion required to fix the problem, and needs help from national government.

Minister Mchunu says that previous administrations had refused to work with his department, which impacted the resolution of the water crisis in Hammanskraal.