Wednesday, June 5, 2013

'Wherever Zille goes, bucket toilets will fly'

A Khayelitsha councillor said he will intensify his dirty war against Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, vowing bucket toilets, brimming with human filth, will follow her wherever she goes in the province.

Yesterday, residents in Harare, Khayelitsha, emptied out portable toilets on vehicles in Zille's convoy .

On Monday, Andile Lili and fellow ANC councillor Loyiso Nkohla emptied the contents of five portable toilets on the steps of the provincial legislature.

Zille's spokesman Zak Mbhele said yesterday's incident in Khayelitsha came after the premier spoke at a scheduled event.

"Towards the end of the event, there were people outside who demonstrated. You could hear them singing from inside the venue and, at some point, they had started throwing faeces around," said Mbhele.

Across the road from the venue, other protesters smeared faeces on the road surface.

With a heavy police presence accompanying Zille, rubber bullets were fired into the crowd.

Minutes later Zille, who had arrived by bus, left in a car with one of her security guards.

Lili described what happened as "a mess".

"We made a mess. Our aim was to protest these toilets, which are a legacy of apartheid," said Lili.

Two weeks ago, Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille announced "the end of bucket toilets" and the phasing in of portable flush toilets for some informal settlements.

The same toilets were used by protesters on Monday and yesterday.

"By improving these toilets they are simply improving on apartheid's legacy.

"Instead of spending money on these toilets, they should buy land and build houses closer to the city," said Lili.

He said the improved toilets were an assault on the dignity of black people.

"Wherever Zille is going the bucket toilets will fly into the sky," said Lili.

He, along with Nkohla, had been instrumental in highlighting Cape Town's open toilet scandal in 2010 when the city had built toilets without walls.

Police spokesman Tembinkosi Kinana confirmed that two men were arrested for public violence related to the protest.

The ANC Youth League's Dullah Omar leadership has distanced itself from yesterday's incident, saying it did not condone the protest.

Lili is fighting his dismissal as a councillor in the Cape High Court.

Among other things, he has been accused of demolishing a Khayelitsha resident's home.

The ANC provincial executive has also indicated that it would take disciplinary action against him, pending the outcome of his court case.

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