Grahamstown - An Eastern Cape municipality will spend nearly R3 million in an attempt to completely do away with the bucket toilet system.
Municipal manager for Makana Municipality in Grahamstown, Ntombekhaya Baart, said while the municipality had already eradicated 80 percent of all bucket toilets in the municipality, a decision was made last year to spend R2.6 million for the total eradication of the bucket system by May this year.
"Currently, bucket eradication is still not complete in KwaNdancama and Eluxolweni settlements, where 33 and 69 families respectively still use bucket toilets," said Baart on Thursday.
The municipality's eradication project started in 2003 with two initial phases. Phase 1 saw 200 toilets built at a cost of R760 000 in 2004, followed by Phase 2, which saw an additional 300 toilets built at a cost of almost R950 000 in May 2005.
A further R12 million was spent between January 2004 and July 2005 on sewer reticulation and connection of toilets in seven communities, while a further R15 million was spent on water waste treatment works projects in two other communities between March 2006 and August 2007.
Work stopped on the project for four years, which Executive Mayor Zamuxolo Peter attributed to lack of funding from provincial government.
To mark the resumption of the project, Peter visited KwaNdancama and removed one of the bucket toilets in the area.
"It's not the municipality's mandate to eradicate buckets, but a national programme which was supposed to be finished by December 2007. Today signifies the resumption of our fight to eradicate these toilets for the good of our people," said Peter.
He added, however, that families living in over 200 shacks in the area were unlikely to be connected to the main sewerage network "since their status is unknown".
"We can't build toilets in informal settlements because we don't know what plans government has for that land. This issue would have to be taken up by provincial government's Human Settlements Department, whose mandate it is to provide adequate sanitation," said municipal communications officer Thanduxolo Matebese.
