Puddles of sewage water on the side of a dirt road in the Kanana informal settlement in Hammanskraal, on June 10.
Photographer: Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg
Deadly Disease Arrives at the Doorstep of South African Power
Cholera largely disappeared in developed economies with modern sewage systems. Its return near Pretoria shows how far a nation has fallen.
Pretoria is the capital of Africa’s most industrialized economy, where ministers meet in buildings that overlook lush gardens and a giant statue of Nelson Mandela. The city hosts more than 100 embassies and high commissions, verdant parks and two universities.
Yet just 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of the seat of government up the N1 highway, the Tshwane municipality that includes Pretoria is also home to the latest alarming evidence of South Africa’s ongoing political dysfunction.