Wednesday, August 7, 2013

CT to build over 1,000 toilets

CAPE TOWN - The City of Cape Town says while 82 percent of informal settlements do not have full flush toilets and it is physically and legally unable to provide these sanitation facilities.

De Lille and her administration have been plagued by the so-called toilet wars in recent weeks with people dumping human waste in various parts of the city to shown their unhappiness with the situation.

De Lille says despite a large chuck of the city’s budget being spent on sanitation, there are areas which will not receive full flush toilets.

She says areas including the Barcelona informal settlement, where sanitation staff were attacked a few months ago by residents, are not on the list.

De Lille says it is because these settlements are built on privately owned land, making it illegal to construct sanitation facilities.

But the mayor was quick to highlight areas across the city where 1,300 of these toilets will be built during the current financial year at a cost of R14 million.

Meanwhile, Western Cape traffic officials have reopened the N2 highway near the R300 after protesters dumped human waste on the road.

Traffic officials closed both the incoming lanes from Somerset West to Cape Town as a result.

Over the past few months there have been several incidents in which some informal settlement residents have dumped faeces throughout the city as part of their demonstrations for better sanitation services.

Traffic chief Kenny Africa says, “We’ve reopened the road for traffic.”

On Tuesday, the ANC Youth League distanced itself from the so-called poo wars after protesters dumped raw sewage outside the provincial legislature.

The league’s Muhamed Sayed says, “We’ve called upon our members in the affected communities to only engage in democratic forms of protest.”

However, the protesters have vowed to continue until their demands are met.

- EWN

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