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​​The City of Cape Town thanks communities, ward councillors and City staff for their collaborative efforts and engagements over the years, and those currently under way, to facilitate the provision of toilets in informal settlements. 

The City favours the installation of full flush toilets, and continues to install this technology wherever it is technically and legally possible to do so. Current/recent projects include:

​​However there are cases where the land on which residents are living has been unlawfully occupied, and in these cases there are often legal and technical constraints to installing sewer pipes on the land.  In these cases we must look for more creative solutions. 

This week, GreenCape, appointed by the City, started hosting focus groups to give communities of BM Section, Marikana, Kosovo and TR Section the opportunity to share their insights, comments and ideas so the City can better understand their experience of using container-based toilets, and use this learning to improve sanitation in informal settlements, where possible.

A number of different toilet typologies are available for communities. Selection depends on the circumstances which are unique to each informal settlement, related to factors such as the typology and ownership of the land, as well as space constraints.

The City’s first choice is to install traditional full-flush toilets, and it does so wherever this is legally and physically possible. Currently, more than 14 000 full-flush toilets have been installed where possible. However it is not always possible to install full-flush infrastructure, and constraints include land that is privately owned, situated in a wetland, or on a sand dune. 

Space is also often a factor. Formal ablution blocks can only be installed in certain parts of an informal settlement where there is space for laying of pipes or construction of toilet blocks. 

Where the City is not able to install full-flush toilets, residents are provided with alternative sanitation solutions, including portable flush toilets (PFTs), container toilets, and chemical toilets, where possible.

Currently, approximately 21 000 chemical and container toilets have been provided where it is not possible to install full-flush toilets. 

Approximately 22 000 portable flush toilets have also been provided to individual households in areas where there are safety concerns related to using formal ablution facilities during the night and where accessibility for the other toilet types are a challenge for residents. PFTs are also suitable for people with disabilities and whose mobility is generally limited. This service can be provided on request.

The City-pioneered janitorial programme allows for regular cleaning of toilets while providing job opportunities to community members enrolled on the job-seekers database. The toilets are also serviced regularly. These services have also been enhanced during lockdown as part of the City’s Covid-19 emergency response to help mitigate the spread of the virus. 

Over the past eight years, the City has created 17 000 work opportunities through the janitorial service for the cleaning and servicing of all the toilets.

The City will continue to work closely with ward councillors and informal settlement leadership structures to unlock additional opportunities for the provision of sanitation where it is possible to do so. Given the legal and technical constraints we are facing, maximising access to sanitation will require flexibility and openness to alternative solutions in almost all cases.    

We also want to use the platform of World Toilet Day to highlight the importance of following due process with respect to development. Unlawful occupations result in under-serviced communities which create many health and environmental challenges.

Illegal construction over City servitudes also blocks access for upgrades and maintenance. Furthermore, we want to urge those who are renting part of their property to backyard tenants to make sure these tenants have adequate access to toilets, and that these toilets are correctly connected to the sewer system.

Residents are encouraged to help the City take care of the toilets to ensure they remain in working order. This can be done by reporting vandalism or blockages of the toilets as well as only disposing of toilet paper and tissues in the toilets. Generally the majority of blockages are caused by the misuse of the sewer system, especially when items such as rags, newspapers, condoms and feminine hygiene products are disposed into the system. The City responds to services requests as and when they are reported, but the situation of so many sewer overflows in Cape Town cannot be improved until such time as residents stop flushing these items down their toilets.

The City generally runs ongoing education and awareness programmes across Cape Town as well as campaigns to make communities aware of the impact this has on our infrastructure. These range from conversations with residents to campaigns such as the present ‘Bin it, don’t block it’ drive.

 

 Visit the City’s sewer blockages page for more information including the ‘Bin It, don’t block it’ materials.

 

Resident can log their service request using one of the following channels:

Anonymous tip-offs welcomed:

Residents can give anonymous tip offs if they are aware of illegal activity that is taking place; that has happened or is still to happen. Please call 112 from a cell phone (toll free) and 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 for emergencies.