Dear Editor
Approximately 108 households in the Central Karoo District still have to utilise the bucket toilet system, despite Mayor Gayton McKenzie claiming that this system had been eradicated. This comes after an oversight visit by the Western Cape Standing Committee on Human Settlements to the municipality yesterday.
I will thus be submitting parliamentary questions to the Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, to request details of any Human Settlements grant that may have been spent towards the eradication of the bucket toilets in the Central Karoo.
When asked in a July interview with Daily Maverick what he was most proud of during his first 100 days in office, Mayor McKenzie said, “The eradication of the bucket system.”
Residents in the Central Karoo face health risks as there still is a lack of access to dignified ablution facilities and, consequently, sanitation. Access to adequate sanitation is crucial and protected by the Constitution.
The oversight visit also highlighted how the population of the Beaufort West Municipality is rapidly expanding. Not only does this overburden the housing pipeline, but it also creates a market for illegal trading in free housing units. I will ask Minister Simmers further questions on the Department’s intervention in preventing the conversion of free housing units into unlawful businesses.
The Standing Committee on Human Settlements engaged in constructive dialogues during the visit and learnt about the difficulties that municipalities face. Municipalities and the Department can work together to make certain the commitment to provide housing opportunities for those in need becomes a reality.
Regards
Matlhodi Maseko, MPP
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Human Settlements
