The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) recently conducted an oversight visit to the Moscow informal settlement. The oversight is a response to a complaint filed by the DA through its Emfuleni North Constituency Head, Kingsol Chabalala, MPL.

In April, the DA staged a sit-in in the Mayor’s Parlour at the ELM offices in Vanderbijlpark. The DA demanded that residents of Moscow be provided with chemical toilets due to what they said was the municipality’s repeated failure to provide proper toilets.

Chabalala told Ster North that the DA has long urged the Gauteng government to formalise basic services in informal settlements, emphasising the need for essential infrastructure such as toilets. Unfortunately, he said, this plea has largely gone unaddressed, and many informal settlements remain in disarray, despite some having existed for as long as Moscow.

Speaking to Ster North about the visit, Chabalala said they filed a complaint with the SAHRC regarding human rights violations by the ELM and the Gauteng provincial government.

“Despite numerous complaints to ELM, the MEC for Human Settlements and the Premier failed to intervene and address the situation. Thirty-one years into democracy, residents are still forced to use pit toilets and travel long distances to access water.”

Chabalala said a single Jojo tank serves over 500 households, and the municipality last filled it with water in 2023.

The DA said it is unacceptable that residents are denied access to toilets, stating that the situation poses a serious health hazard that requires urgent attention.