SEDIBENG.- Ten families in Ramaphosa Informal Settlement near Vereeniging are said to share a single mobile toilet, and some residents have resorted to using buckets in their shacks, as the toilets are overflowing with waste and infested with worms.

Yesterday, Tuesday, a Democratic Alliance (DA) delegation made up of amongst others, Mervyn Cirota, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Human Settlements visited the area to see the situation for themselves, first hand, where Ramaphosa residents are exposed to inhumane and terrible living conditions because of a severe lack of proper, dignified sanitation.

The DA delegation was appalled by the state of the mobile toilets at the informal settlement, and residents also expressed their frustration over living conditions that resembled those of animals, as they use mobile toilets that are neither cleaned nor maintained.

The DA delegation said that the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) and the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) are pointing fingers at each other over who should take responsibility for addressing this “urgent crisis”.

“The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng condemns the ongoing violations of residents’ human rights and demands immediate action from the GPG and Emfuleni to resolve this sanitation issue. This is unacceptable and indicates the Gauteng government’s lack of involvement in municipal affairs. The government’s reactive approach only responds to crises when they hit the headlines—such as the recent attempts to empty the toilets in Ramaphosa Informal Settlement after public outrage. This is disappointing as these quick fixes do not address the real challenges.”

The DA said that it will engage Premier Panyaza Lesufi, the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements (GDHS), MEC Tasneem Motara, and the ELM to ensure the consistent and repetitive process of giving proper sanitation at Ramaphosa Informal Settlement and all informal settlements facing the same predicament in the province.