Editor’s views on issues affecting the public

Two regimes ago, the issue of bucket system toilets was dealt with and it was said to be a thing of the past.

To be exact, it was during the reign of Premier Thabang Makwetla in the province and that during the years 2006-2008 and our publication reported extensively about that issue.

It is surprising for me that last week the national minister of water and environmental affairs, Ms Edna Molewa and minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta), Mr Lechesa Tsenoli were in Delmas in the Victor Khanye local municipality, and addressed the same issue of bucket system toilets.

Even when those communities protested, they never raised the issue of the bucket system toilets, only trouble they have been experiencing extensively, was the issue of contaminated water and diarrhoea outbreak.

Yes, they have been having other complaints like the rest of the others of roads, housing, water supply, lack of job and economic opportunities and so on.

My biggest concern here is: someone, somewhere, is not speaking the truth. Why was the issue of the bucket system toilets and pit toilets not raised all along, when it was supposed to have been addressed a long time ago.

It may also emerge that in that particular area, it was partly eradicated and for subsequent regimes to have left it for so long is unforgiveable as that is a serious health hazard, especially for the poor community of Delmas who have had their lives placed in danger since the apartheid era and no one cared ever since the country attained democracy.

Are they being used as political pawns in the pretext that their plight is at last being addressed after 19 years of democracy and obviously, that being a strong-hold of the ruling party, they always vote for them, but are the last to be considered.

If we’re talking about fairness in implementation, the ruling party hasn’t been fair to the people of Delmas, but have been using them for their own selfish ends. Elections are around the corner in early 2014, now it’s time to pretend as if they are redressing wrongs of the past, yet they are biding time.

Time will tell, as they already have huge cracks within their ranks, with comrade having turned against comrade, foes becoming friends, alienation of key people and ganging up to to consolidate power among leaders.

That’s a catastrophe for disaster.