YAB informal settlement resident Mkhuseli Njengele stands next to the five toilets the city built two years ago but never connected to water or sewerage. Photo: Nombulelo Damba/WCN
They’ve been waiting two years for the city to connect their toilets.
Residents living in YAB Informal Settlement in Khayelitsha Site B, say the city installed five toilets next to the informal settlement two years ago. However, they have never been connected to a water pipe for flushing purposes, or to a sewerage system, and the stalls have remained locked ever since they were constructed.
Residents say the people who erected the toilets said they would be connected to a water and sewerage system but nothing has ever happened.
Since then someone broke open the lock on one of the toilet stalls and residents say skollies use it to hide in before robbing unsuspecting passers by.
The five toilets would make a big difference to the lives of the approximately 261 residents of YAB as the whole settlement has only eight working toilets which were constructed in the middle of the settlement in March this year.
That’s one toilet for 32 people.
Before that, residents had to relieve themselves in the bush.
Resident Mkhuseli Njengele said everyone was so happy when the five toilets were built two years ago.
“At that time we didn’t have any toilets. The five toilets were going to be used by old people, especially those that are using wheelchairs, but they were never connected to water,” said Njengele.
He said the contractor who built the toilets promised to come back and finish the job but they never did.
“We all gave up when we realized they were doing a running game. We had to rely on buckets, while some pay money at Nonkqubela shopping mall to use the toilets there.”
He said the one toilet stall is a hiding place for skollies who forced the door open when they saw the toilets were never used.
Residents’ committee chairperson Unathi Mabengwana said the committee reported the matter to the city and a city official came to the area to check.
“But nothing has happened ever since,” said Mabengwana.
“When the city contractor erected new toilets in March this year I told them about these toilets. They promised to comeback after elections but he never did. We have about eight houses sharing one toilet.”
City of Cape Town media office said they were not aware of the five unconnected toilets at YAB informal settlement and would look into the matter. – Nombulelo Damba, West Cape News
