issue 11 

Toilet war may be over soon

An end to Cape Town's toilet war may be in sight, thanks to an initiative by the SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco).

Sanco official Thanduxolo Sithekela said on Friday that a Paarl company had agreed to supply 100 fully-functioning precast concrete toilets in the Makhaza area of Khayelitsha.

Materials, labour and transport would all be covered by the company, he said.

Makhaza hit the headlines earlier this year with a row over the fact that about 50 toilets installed by the council in a site and service scheme, were not enclosed.

When the council, which maintains that the community agreed to erect enclosures themselves, eventually put up tin and iron structures, the ANC Youth League and community members tore them down, demanding concrete structures.

The council then removed the toilets altogether, a move which led to days of protest and several arrests.

Talks failed

On Thursday, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille and Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato walked out of a meeting on the issue, convened by Co-operative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka, in protest at what Zille said were threats by the league to make the city ungovernable.
Sithekela, who is Sanco regional secretary for the Cape Peninsula, said his organisation had approached the company through a third party.

"What they agreed to do for us is to give us 100 toilets. Fully functioning precast concrete toilets," he said.

The plan was to erect the toilets, using labour from the Makhaza area, within the next three months.

The initial batch would be used to replace those removed by the municipality, and Sanco would then consult with the community on where the rest should go.

If people were happy, the provision of concrete structures would continue as a project until every household in the area was done, Sithekela said.

The council provided toilets for all householders in the Makhaza scheme, but other residents have, in line with an agreement with the council, erected their own enclosures.

Council yet to be consulted

Sithekela said Sanco hoped the initiative would bring the controversy to an end.

"It will help people because now they don't have a place to go and relieve themselves," he said.

"It will help them a lot, so I think that's the best solution."

He said the proposal had not yet been discussed with the council. Sanco was trying to arrange a meeting, but had not yet had a reply.

"We are not expecting any problem from them because we are just trying to come up with a solution," he said.

"We are hoping they will react positively."

Sanco had already had several meetings with the community on the plan.

No comment was immediately available from the city.

- SAPA

Story source: www.news24.com