Video: Cachet Park toilet facilities open for public use
Although the facilities aren't in the best condition at the moment, after over a decade of being inaccessible, the public toilets have now been made available for public use.
Although the facilities aren’t in the best condition at the moment, after over a decade of being inaccessible, the public toilets have now been made available for public use.
Towards the end of last year, Jeanette Tshite, the acting municipal spokesperson, responded to multiple complaints regarding the toilet facilities at Cachet Park.
She assured the public that the problem would be resolved by the end of December 2022. However, by the beginning of this year, the facilities were still closed.
According to Tshite, there were many reasons for the delay in fixing the facilities, including the vast scope of work required to repair and get them to a fit state. She added that the municipality had consulted with the Cachet Park City Improvement District (CID) concerning the repairs and upkeep of the toilet facilities at Cachet Park. “The process of procuring services for the restoration is at an advanced stage, and the repairs should be completed before the end of December 2022,” Tshite previously promised.
Read More: Cachet Park toilets still an ongoing project
On Monday, 6 February, Johan Naude, CID chief administrative officer, confirmed that the facilities are finally open to the public. “We have been trying to fight this issue for many years,” Naude said. Although he admits the facilities are currently not in the best condition, he says he will monitor the project closely.
“While we wait for the municipality’s further feedback regarding the repairs, we are trying to work out an agreement to at least have the toilets cleaned once daily,” he explained.
In a previous article, Naude had said the feedback he received from the municipality was that there was a dispute between the municipality and the service provider conducting repairs on the toilets. For now, Cachet Park CID is trying to put measures in place to ensure the facilities don’t get vandalised and remain safe for people to use.
Video: Cornelia Hitge
“Since the facilities are mostly used by users of the designated mini taxi rank, I am busy communicating with the taxi association to arrange for someone to sell people toilet paper upon entry. This will help prevent the facilities from being vandalised and serve as a security measure to an extent as well,” Naude said.
He had previously also said the Cachet Park CID were willing to enter into an agreement with the municipality where their security would open the facilities in the morning and lock up at night.
“This would be an extension of our existing agreement with the municipality,” he said. Naude confirmed that the facilities are currently open to the public from 06:00 to 18:00 every day. The Herald asked the municipality for another comment but none was forthcoming.
