Big stink as toilets built, torn down, built again
This is double-dipping, fiscal dumping and wasteful expenditure, says Scopa chair
Red flags have been raised over a VIP toilet project in Mbhashe municipality where more than 100 relatively new toilet stands were demolished to make way for new units.
Bhisho legislature Scopa chair Veliswa Mvenya has labelled the move “pure corruption”.
Opposition party supporters say they were ignored in the installation of the new VIP (ventilated improved pit) toilets. They claim only ANCaligned residents received toilets.
At the centre of the uproar is community leader Nowongile Roji, a ward committee member for ward 3 who allegedly gave the instruction for some of the older toilets to be demolished and the new units established.
Residents of Drayini village, where the toilets are located, say they were told to demolish the older units. However, they are now in the process of installing the same units again.
According to Amathole district municipality spokesperson Noni Vuso, the new construction relates to the cancellation of a Siyenza Projects contract which was “terminated leaving behind delivered and unused material”.
Siyenza was appointed by ADM for building VIP toilets across the district in the 2014/15 financial year.
This company is embroiled in a R600m scandal exposed by the Daily Dispatch five years ago.
Following Siyenza’s termination, “it is alleged that some residents appointed their own builders to build toilets in their properties utilising material that was left by Siyenza contractors”, Vuso said.
“Subsequently the municipality appointed 105 contractors to continue with the programme across the district. Oonojila Projects is one of the contractors appointed out of the 105 contractors for the construction of VIP toilets in Drayini village,” she said.
“It was noted during the recommencement of the project that the self-built structures by the community were not meeting acceptable health and safety standards. Some of these structures were subsiding/ sinking and falling apart.”
But Mvenya, who the Dispatch accompanied to the village this week, believes the Drayini village toilet project is the “tip of an iceberg” and that questionable toilet contracts are playing out in other parts of the province.
“This is double dipping, this is fiscal dumping and wasteful expenditure. This is pure corruption. The demolished toilets are new and this tender was only made for a certain business person to get the money,” said Mvenya, who is a member of the African Transformation Movement.
“I reported this to the Mbhashe municipality speaker but she did nothing. This was discussed in an ANC branch executive committee meeting [during lockdown]. Why is the building of these toilets being discussed in a political meeting?”
She said officials were treating government property as their own.
“The reason there are three spheres of government is for the people to access services, but if there are those who are choosing who gets what on government properties, that’s corruption.”
Villager and ATM member Nyameka Mongezi said she was asked to demolish her toilet but to “keep quiet”.
My toilet is still standing. What these people, who are led by Roji, are doing is wrong
“I could not do that. My toilet is still standing. What these people, who are led by Roji, are doing is wrong. Some toilets are built in yards where houses were demolished long ago while other residents have none and are in need of these toilets,” Mongezi said.
She said some residents were told to put up curtains in their homes as a sign they wanted to benefit from the new toilets.
“This was just an insult. This needs to be investigated.”
When approached by the Dispatch, Roji did not deny that she was instrumental in the building of the new toilets but said there was “nothing wrong in that”. She said people who were reporting the matter to the media were those against her vision. “Who gave you permission to come to my village without my knowledge?” she challenged the Dispatch team.
“If you want to talk to me, come to this village and we will have a meeting in a community hall with the villagers and we will explain to you why we did this,” she said.
She denied that people were rebuilding their old toilet stands and that there were toilets built on land where homes had been demolished.
“Those who were told to demolish have not rebuilt, those are lies that we built where there are no people, those are people’s stands.”
Many residents allowed the Dispatch to take pictures of their newly built toilets and those that were demolished. However, they refused permission to have their names used or have their pictures taken.
But those who did not receive any toilets were more than happy to go on record.
Mlu Gotyana said he did not receive a toilet because he was associated with the EFF.
“At home we do not have a toilet and we did not get one because I am linked to the EFF. I am a community activist who does not want corruption but what I see happening in the village is corruption in the name of Covid-19. I do not have an EFF membership card,” said Gotyana.
EFF member Sindiswa Mongezi said people were told to demolish their clean, working toilets for new ones.
Sindiswa said their toilets were built in 2016. “They are fairly new. They are clean and they are not sinking, yet those who have been identified were told to demolish these toilets. Some of the properties, without any structures, have received toilets.”
Vuso said the contractor had been paid R112,500 to date and the balance of the structures completed had been invoiced by the contractor. This was being processed by the municipality. Asked why some residents had not yet benefited, she said: “The sanitation programme is ongoing and the other households will eventually benefit.”
She said the toilet programme had nothing to do with Covid-19.
Questioned why some toilets were erected in yards housing demolished structures yet occupied households did not receive them, she said: “Some households were affected by disasters (storm and strong winds) and their houses were destroyed after the contractor had built the toilets.”