Siphiwe Segodi writes:
It is disappointing to note that some communities in parts of the country still have to make do with going to the veld to relief themselves, more than 25 years into democracy in the second-largest economy in Africa.
This is although the right to sanitation is implicitly recognised in the Constitution of South Africa and more explicit by law.
A substantial number of informal settlement communities in Emalahleni Local Municipality are among those deprived of this basic necessity.
They include Coronation, Benicon, El Paso, eMkataneni, Ka-Mgewana, Kwa-Jooma, Lindokuhle, Magagula, Masakhane, Somgodla, Spring Valley and 5-Shaft to name a few.
Not to have a toilet is a thorny issue on the daily lives of those directly affected.
Why is this the case when the policy regime is so clear, and resources are available?
Planact, an NGO focusing on participatory democracy, has been working with a coalition of informal settlement communities for the past few years in eMalahleni.
The work has since revealed that the municipality is underrating its responsibility to provide informal settlement residents with sanitation services.
Legislatively, the Water Services Act and National Water Act clearly outlines the right to basic sanitation.
South Africa has also adopted the National Sanitation Policy, and Free Basic Sanitation policy which municipalities are mandated to implement.
The country further introduced the National Norms and Standards for Domestic Water and Sanitation Services in 2017.
All these seem to be gathering dust in the Emalahleni Municipality as it relates to the informal settlement section of its constituency.
Ironically, the reality that accompanies the Covid-19 pandemic has caught up with us and illuminated the need for urgent and serious attention on the matter.
For instance, it is an open secret that water, sanitation and hygiene, in general, are the first line of defence in the fight against Covid-19.
Despite this important fact the municipality appears not to have lifted a finger in this regard as it relates to informal settlement communities.
While there is an indication that the municipality does acknowledge its responsibility to provide sanitation services to informal settlements, it is unclear why this position was abandoned somewhere in the middle.
In 2005, the municipality constructed ventilated improved pit-latrines in a few informal settlements. However, the celebrations of those who benefited were short-lived.
One of the communities that benefited from this initiative was Masakhane.
“The toilets were only drained once since construction” according to a resident.
In a short space of time, the beneficiaries were back to square one, as this meant the end of the service once the toilets were filled up.
Sadly, much other informal settlement community appears to have not benefited from this promising municipal project at the time.
Government-sponsored sanitation services for informal settlement communities in eMalahleni is currently non-existent, according to available information!
Residents are faced with two difficult options.
They either constructing their toilets or are compelled to go to the veld.
As Mabongo Siyabonga, from eMkataneni, indicated: “we construct our toilets and if you can’t, you have to go to the bush”!
This circumstance presents several challenges. Constructing one’s toilet requires the necessary energy, skill and resources, otherwise, they must have enough money to hire another person to do the work.
Informal settlement communities are generally poverty-stricken.
This puts most venerable members, such as child-headed families, single mothers and the frail, particularly, in a difficult situation.
In any case, the structural integrity of such toilets often poses health and safety hazards.
There have been reports in the media of children “drowning” in such structures.
It is also not uncommon for women, in particular, to complain about the health challenges (such as infections) related to this option in the absence of proper sanitation facilities.
An alternative for the less fortunate is to “go to the bush”! This has its negative implications in that it also compromises the safety of residents, with women and girls facing higher risk, while men are not completely immune to the risk.
In one instance, a male pensioner was attacked in an area called Somgodla. Nelly Digudla from Benicon lamented on how residents have to always be extra vigilant against snakes in the veld.
The Emalahleni Municipality is dismally failing in one of its primary objectives: To provide sanitation services.
It is completely unacceptable for a municipality whose motto is, “To be a centre of excellence and innovation” to allow its constituency to experience humiliation.
It is unjust for the municipality to continue to relegate this important matter to secondary importance.
This happens at a time when the national government has accepted the reality of informal settlements existence as one of the features of the country that need progressive solutions such as the Upgrading of Informal Settlement Programme.
The latter programme calls for consideration of upgrading as the first option and relocation as the last, with basic services being a high priority.
It would appear that the Emalahleni Municipality is still caught up in the hangover of earlier government denialism of the need to deal with informal settlement communities humanly.
It is regrettable that the municipality still chose to turn a blind eye even under the emergency conditions necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
There’s a variety of available cost-effective sanitation options that the municipality can explore if it was interested in achieving this objective.
In response to this situation, several informal settlement communities have organised themselves as a cluster or a coalition under the umbrella MASCOM.
The name is an abbreviation from the first letters of the founding member communities.
Planact has been supporting this initiative.
The communities have recognised the need to unite to amplify their voice.
In their relationship with Planact they have been empowered to better understand how local government works.
They are already using formal channels to raise their issues with authorities.
They also engage to better understand the reasons behind the deficiencies to contribute to developing a solution.
Thus far, this exercise in the municipality seems to be mired with red tapes that frustrate progress.
This calls into question the effectiveness of available public participation mechanisms within the municipality.
This may have a negative consequence if it goes on for long, once affected communities run out of patience.
One inevitable possibility is that they may add to the statistics that led to South Africa being dubbed the capital protest of the world. Something undesirable.
The right to the sanitation of informal settlement communities in eMalahleni is being violated with impunity.
Planact efforts, together with MASCOM, to engage relevant officials have so far been frustrated despite observing formal channels of communication with the municipality.
Covid-19 require a different attitude on the matter and we hope that the municipality will realise before it is too late.
Together, with other likeminded organisations across the country, Planact has initiated the Asivikelane campaign that is intended at ensuring that municipalities deliver on the pronouncements of the Minister of Water and Sanitation to ensure access to this service, and others related, as a response to the fight against Covid-19.
The fight to have sanitation service introduced where it does not exist and improved where it is inadequate will not stop until there is “a good story to tell” on the sanitation conditions of informal settlement communities as well.
