R3300 per month for a single chemical toilet

Dear Johannesburg

I am disappointed to learn that the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is spending over R3300 per month on a single chemical toilet.

This was revealed to me by the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and COGTA, Lebogang Maile in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

According to MEC Maile, the Ekurhuleni Municipality awarded the chemical ‘tender toilets’ to 16 contractors who are charging the municipality anything from R 1050 to R 3362 per month for each toilet.

This is not an effective way of spending public funds. The City should have considered those contractors that were charging less in order to save costs and provide more toilets.

If Ekurhuleni had awarded tenders to those contractors who charged a reasonable price, it could have provided enough chemical toilets for all its residents.

Furthermore, the contractual obligation of all contractors has decreased between the 2015 and current financial years. Initially toilets were to be emptied twice a week, now they are only emptied once a week unless they are overflowing. This increases the risk of health hazards in the informal settlement areas, particularly in the rainy season and clearly indicates that there is no value for money spent on the Ekurhuleni chemical ‘tender toilets’.

Audits of the toilets are done inconsistently with only one area done per year. This indicated a lack of regular monitoring and maintenance of toilets.

We call on the City of Ekurhuleni to consider a cost-effective way of delivering chemical toilets to its residents. There must also be a regular audit and monitoring of these chemical toilets to ensure that adequate services are rendered to our people.

Regards

Kate Lorimer MPL
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Human Settlements and COGTA