Budget savings to fund service delivery, eradicating bucket toilets

BUDGET savings of almost R200-million will be ploughed into job creation and service delivery projects, including eradicating the bucket toilet system in some of Nelson Mandela Bay’s poorest and oldest townships.

Mayor Athol Trollip said yesterday that by the end of next year, residents in areas like Walmer township, who have had to use the system, would be able to choose between communal toilets and permanent concrete units.

But Trollip, delivering his 100 days progress report, said residents squatting on private land would not be assisted with flushing toilets.

He said 10 000 to 20 000 people on private land used bucket toilets.

“We made a commitment that those communities where people were born using bucket toilets and now their children are being born using them, would have bucket toilets eradicated.

“I’m concerned about people in informal settlements and I have made it clear that the bucket eradication will only be in established informal settlements.

“We cannot eradicate toilets on privately owned land. Where the state owns the land, we will eradicate,” Trollip said.

Identified communities will be given options and this will be explained by means of a demo mobile toilet.

Trollip also said the mushrooming of informal settlements – where people used the bucket system – had to be stopped.