Residents build own toilets

RESIDENTS of newly formed informal settlement in Khayelitsha have built their own toilets and taps as they have been unable to obtain these basic services from the City of Cape Town.

Community leader of Level-Two informal settlement, Mabhelandile Twani, said when the community realised that they had a sanitation problem, they decided to unite and tackle the issue.

He said everyone contributed the little they had, while skilled community members such as plumbers and electricians rendered their services free.

At first the community built toilets which required them to use grey water for flushing. These toilets use a similar mechanism that portable toilets use, waste travels to a bin where chemicals are used to decompose the waste. After getting more members on board, flushable toilets were developed.

Twani explained that Level-Two was established last year and is home to roughly 12 000 community members who share 20 of these makeshift toilets. They also share a water system made by community members but the settlement does not have electricity.

Twani said the City of Cape Town had ignored their pleas for help.

Ward councillor Patrick Mngxunyeni explained that communities that emerged from land invasions were unplanned and not in the City’s annual budget. He said, however, that the City should think of a solution to this problem as more communities were emerging throughout the metropolitan area.

“There is already a budget in plan, and the land that was unlawfully occupied was under that budget. They need to understand that they were not a part of the planned budget and the City is unable to cater for them.”

Mngxunyeni said there were hundreds of people on the budget for housing and basic services and new informal settlements could not expect to be prioritised over people who were in line before them.

Level-Two resident Ntombizodwa Ndleleni said that a simple activity such as going to the toilet was a problem for the residents of Level-Two.

“It’s hard to approach landlords and have to ask to be able to use the toilet. Sometimes there is a queue and you have to wait in line no matter how desperate you are to relieve yourself.

“We have no electricity so we heavily rely on candles and paraffin heaters and lamps which could burn down our homes.”

Community member Luleka Malumba said it was an everyday struggle as the toilets were shared by thousands and there was no proper water system.

The City of Cape Town mayco member for water and waste, Xanthea Limberg, said the City prohibits residents from making their own connections to the City’s water and sewerage system as this greatly increases the risk of infrastructure failure and blockages. She said illegal water connections could also affect water pressure to surrounding areas.

Mayco member for human settlements Malusi Booi explained that many newly established communities had been demanding services but at present, the City was unable to cater for these unplanned settlements.

“Recognised informal settlements are prioritised on the basis of available resources, which are not limitless

“Planned and budgeted projects are prioritised. Assessments of all unlawfully occupied areas are being undertaken across the metro.”

He said that most of the settlements had been established on unsuitable land “or land with great constraints for service delivery and land where the installation of bulk services for servicing was never planned”.