The Mpumalanga government could be taken to court to release people quarantined in a resort following a barrage of complaints about unbearable and unhygienic conditions.
Seven individuals – who were among a group of South Africans repatriated from Mozambique on April 27 and were taken to the government-owned Zithabiseni Resort & Conference Centre outside Groblersdal – claim they haven’t been tested and are living in a place teeming with cockroaches and rotten cardboard. They also said that they were being served “substandard” food, and that false eyelashes were found in some meals.
The Mpumalanga department of health initially quarantined 115 people at the resort, which is owned by the Mpumalanga Parks & Tourism Agency. Twenty of them were international tourists. Eight left the site after completing their 14-day quarantine period and testing negative for Covid-19.
- The Zithabiseni Resort is run-down and dilapidated. Most of the rondavels have either been burnt down or in ruins, and are conducive to the breeding of disease. Although the complainants say they stay in better rondavels, they’re uncomfortable with the squalour that surrounds them;
- There are no toilet seats in most of the bathrooms. Taps are broken and tiles are falling off. Bathtubs and showers are grimy and there are live, exposed electric wires in these areas;
- On the day of their arrival, there was no toilet paper and no towels. There were also no cleaning services, laundry facilities or cleaning materials;
- There’s a dump site on the premises; and
- Food is delivered without gloves (everything is manually wrapped in foil), the kitchen entrance is dirty and staff members engage with others without gloves or masks.
