WITH the local government elections drawing closer, the Makhaza toilet saga is now being used to gain political mileage and for point-scoring. For some residents of Makhaza, in Khayelitsha outside Cape Town, like Lwandiso Stofile, their need for basic services has been overshadowed by the politicking.
“Council does not care about us. Instead, they are now focusing on settling political scores with the African National Congress (ANC) and the youth league,” Mr Stofile says . His plight is a humiliation and a violation of his human rights, he says . “This situation is an utter disgrace. I cannot believe that providing a simple toilet should be such a huge problem. The council is racist.”
But another Makhaza resident, Siyanda Xozwa, says the ANC Youth League should be blamed.
“The youth league are to blame for the whole situation and the violent protests. T hey are not representing the community,” she says . Ms Xozwa, who had her toilet destroyed by members of the league, now has to use a neighbour’s toilet. “We want any toilet. It’s not safe for me to go out at night and use my neighbour’s toilet, which is far,” she says.
The toilet saga began when the city decided to provide individual households with toilets. Cape Town mayor Dan Plato was quoted this week as saying the city intended to provide the national standard of one toilet for every five households, but that the community prevented their installation and requested individual toilets.
“This was done after an agreement with the community that individual households would enclose the toilets themselves,” he said. “The funding available according to national housing policies was not enough to provide individual concrete toilets.”
But Mr Stofile, who has been living in Makhaza for the past 13 years, says the council did not reach any agreement with the residents. “If the council says they reached an agreement with us, then they should show us the signed papers. I do not know of a single resident who reached an agreement with council,” he says.
Mr Stofile says the issue should not be turned into a political battle between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the ANC. “This should have nothing to do with politics. All we are saying is, provide us with decent housing and toilets as this is a human right enshrined in the constitution.”
The city last week removed 51 toilets in Makhaza which remained unenclosed after the youth league and Ward 95 Development Forum members destroyed the corrugated iron structures the city tried to erect around them.
Mr Plato says the city had no choice but to remove the toilets until an agreement with the beneficiaries can be reached.
“The city is concerned about the dignity of its residents and on two occasions attempted to enclose the toilets with corrugated sheeting,” he says. “On both occasions the structures were destroyed.”
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille this week sent a letter to Co- operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Sicelo Shiceka ahead of his planned visit to Makhaza. “The so-called ‘open-air toilets’ saga is an issue that has been hijacked for specific agendas to the detriment of residents in this community,” Ms Zille wrote.
Attempts by the City of Cape Town to enclose toilets in Makhaza had been blocked for political reasons and not genuine concern for residents . “We tried to rectify the situation but it did not suit (the youth league),” she wrote.
Earlier this week, the league brought a criminal charge of malicious damage to property and incitement of violence against Mr Plato. Mr Plato last week called on Makhaza residents to burn tyres and protest against the “hooligans” and “thugs” from the league who destroyed the toilet enclosures.
While the toilet battle between the DA and the league continues to simmer, Makhaza residents continue to worry about basic services.
Mr Stofile says the community is not enjoying their hard-won freedom. “We are free but we are not enjoying the freedom. We want permanent structures and whoever is in government should focus on service delivery. People are fed up with all the political talk.”
“Council does not care about us. Instead, they are now focusing on settling political scores with the African National Congress (ANC) and the youth league,” Mr Stofile says . His plight is a humiliation and a violation of his human rights, he says . “This situation is an utter disgrace. I cannot believe that providing a simple toilet should be such a huge problem. The council is racist.”
But another Makhaza resident, Siyanda Xozwa, says the ANC Youth League should be blamed.
“The youth league are to blame for the whole situation and the violent protests. T hey are not representing the community,” she says . Ms Xozwa, who had her toilet destroyed by members of the league, now has to use a neighbour’s toilet. “We want any toilet. It’s not safe for me to go out at night and use my neighbour’s toilet, which is far,” she says.
The toilet saga began when the city decided to provide individual households with toilets. Cape Town mayor Dan Plato was quoted this week as saying the city intended to provide the national standard of one toilet for every five households, but that the community prevented their installation and requested individual toilets.
“This was done after an agreement with the community that individual households would enclose the toilets themselves,” he said. “The funding available according to national housing policies was not enough to provide individual concrete toilets.”
But Mr Stofile, who has been living in Makhaza for the past 13 years, says the council did not reach any agreement with the residents. “If the council says they reached an agreement with us, then they should show us the signed papers. I do not know of a single resident who reached an agreement with council,” he says.
Mr Stofile says the issue should not be turned into a political battle between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the ANC. “This should have nothing to do with politics. All we are saying is, provide us with decent housing and toilets as this is a human right enshrined in the constitution.”
The city last week removed 51 toilets in Makhaza which remained unenclosed after the youth league and Ward 95 Development Forum members destroyed the corrugated iron structures the city tried to erect around them.
Mr Plato says the city had no choice but to remove the toilets until an agreement with the beneficiaries can be reached.
“The city is concerned about the dignity of its residents and on two occasions attempted to enclose the toilets with corrugated sheeting,” he says. “On both occasions the structures were destroyed.”
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille this week sent a letter to Co- operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Sicelo Shiceka ahead of his planned visit to Makhaza. “The so-called ‘open-air toilets’ saga is an issue that has been hijacked for specific agendas to the detriment of residents in this community,” Ms Zille wrote.
Attempts by the City of Cape Town to enclose toilets in Makhaza had been blocked for political reasons and not genuine concern for residents . “We tried to rectify the situation but it did not suit (the youth league),” she wrote.
Earlier this week, the league brought a criminal charge of malicious damage to property and incitement of violence against Mr Plato. Mr Plato last week called on Makhaza residents to burn tyres and protest against the “hooligans” and “thugs” from the league who destroyed the toilet enclosures.
While the toilet battle between the DA and the league continues to simmer, Makhaza residents continue to worry about basic services.
Mr Stofile says the community is not enjoying their hard-won freedom. “We are free but we are not enjoying the freedom. We want permanent structures and whoever is in government should focus on service delivery. People are fed up with all the political talk.”
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