The Democratic Alliance (DA) is appalled to learn that more than 17 000 Mpumalanga households are still using the bucket toilet system – 18 years past the initial deadline set by the government to eradicate them.
Towards the end of June this year, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released the census report for 2022 which revealed that 17 007 households in Mpumalanga reported to still make use of bucket toilets, whilst a further 24 025 do not have access to toilets at all. This is made up of 7 660 households in Gert Sibande District, 4 214 households in Nkangala District and 12 151 households in Ehlanzeni District. With an average household size of 3 to 6 people, it cannot be that this province is denying 147 715 residents’ access to decent sanitation facilities. The report also mentioned that Mpumalanga had the third lowest proportion of households which had access to flush toilets in the country.
The following local municipalities, Mkhondo, Nkomazi, Bushbuckridge and Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, were identified by the 2022 Stats SA report to have the highest proportion of households without access to toilet facilities.
In 2003, the South African Cabinet approved the Strategic Framework for water services aimed at eradicating the bucket system by 2006. Government missed this deadline and the target dates were shifted to 2015 and missed also. And now, 18-years after the first set target to eradicate the bucket toilet system, the Mpumalanga government is still struggling to do so.
Given the severity of the issue, the DA has written to Speedy Mashilo, the Mpumalanga MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements & Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA), to work together with these municipalities to eradicate this problem. We also requested a detailed plan from the MEC on how he is going to address this issue. Failing which, we will call on the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to conduct an investigation into this issue.