By Mr MW Sibuyana MP

National Assembly 6 May 2008

Madame Speaker,

The IFP is deeply alarmed by the death of nearly 80 children in the Eastern Cape over the past three months.

In the spirit of Ubuntu, we are concerned about the loss of life of newly born babies and the impact that might have on their families.

The 62 deaths in the area of Sterkspruit are reported to have been related to water supply.

The Health department in Bisho has confirmed that the babies are dying because of the dirty water they drink.

As we have argued before, our view is that these are the signs of a water crisis. Furthermore our belief is that the first solution in any state of crisis is to acknowledge that indeed a crisis exists.

The question we put to the House today is whether the Minister agrees that the death of so many babies as a result of drinking polluted water constitutes a crisis?

Thank you.