- On Tuesday evening, chaos ensued after sewage was not collected from portable toilets in Khayelitsha and Nyanga.
- According to the City of Cape Town's mayoral committee member for water and waste services, Xanthea Limberg, the container toilets were last serviced a week ago when the service provider's contract ended.
- SA National Civic Organisation secretary Lumkile Msila - who stays in KTC, Nyanga - said residents were fed up with the bucket system.
The City of Cape Town has managed to reach a last-minute agreement with a service provider to service container toilets in Khayelitsha and Nyanga.
On Tuesday evening, chaos erupted after the City failed to collect sewage from portable toilets over the past week.
Nyanga residents took to the streets and blocked the roads with portable toilets.
Soon after, law enforcement officials intervened.
According to the mayoral committee member for water and waste services, Xanthea Limberg, the container toilets were last serviced a week ago, when the service provider's contract ended.
Service resumed on Wednesday morning after contract administration processes were concluded. She said:
"Law enforcement was on the scene first as the protest was likely reported to them first. The maintenance vehicle to clean the roads was also sent in following engagements with the law enforcement team on site," she said.
SA National Civic Organisation secretary Lumkile Msila - who stays in KTC, Nyanga - said residents were fed up with the bucket system.
"Here, we have four sections [in] this informal settlement using the bucket system. The residents are fed up with this system. Late on Tuesday, the residents [took] the buckets to the road and burnt the rubbish. They are fed up with living like this," he added.
Limberg said container toilets were provided in KTC as it was too densely populated to install infrastructure such as sewage pipes and manholes needed for flush toilets.
"The City always prefers to provide traditional full-flush toilets, but where it is not possible to do so, alternative sanitation solutions are provided," she added.
GOOD party general-secretary Brett Herron said the City had more law enforcement capacity than sanitation service capacity.
"On Tuesday evening, residents protested the failure of this most basic service and the conditions in which they are forced to live with, with 10 days of faecal content and the stench. Instead of sending in the sanitation department to sort out the failed sanitation service, the City sent law enforcement to control the protesters," he added.
ANC caucus leader Xolani Sotashe said he believed the City had no plans to deal with service delivery challenges.
"It exposes the collapse of systems with the City of Cape Town administration … This exposes inequalities within our city."