You might be thinking, “Why should I care?”
However, DA councillor Jakkie Naudé believes everyone should care. If you are walking home from school or taking an afternoon jog, you should have the comfort knowing that the public toilets your tax money pays for, are usable.
But currently they aren’t.
Naudé has been fighting for proper ablution facilities in Krugersdorp for almost a decade, yet these toilets are mostly out of order. There also are no sinks or toilet paper – except if you get some from the man charging you R2 to enter. Some public toilets even have become dumping sites.
“Mogale City Local Municipality should protect public property, but they are not,” he said.
The News went to see what the fuss is all about, and the seven public toilet facilities in the CBD, Krugersdorp North, Appel Park and Burgershoop reflected Naudé’s frustration.
At two of these facilities men guarded the entrance, asking from R1,50 to R2 if you want to use the toilet.
“The municipality sees them as entrepreneurs who clean these toilets. But we should not have to pay to use a public toilet.”
Dennis Pretorius, DA spokesperson for Finance in Mogale City, said there is an annual budget for sanitation infrastructure.
The News found for the 2015/16 financial year, about R10 million is set out for sanitation infrastructure. This includes the maintenance and upkeep of sewerage pipes and systems along with public toilet facilities.
Municipal spokesperson Nkosana Zali failed to comment by the time the article was published.
Hopefully Krugersdorpers someday might be able to use the public toilets they already are paying for.
Related article:
• You still need to pay if you want to go
