Government commits to eradicate bucket toilets

By Nadia Samie

The government has committed itself to eradicate the so-called “bucket toilet system” by the end of 2007. At present, about one-hundred and fifty-five thousand buckets are still used in areas where there is a lack of sewerage pipes.

However, according to Water Affairs Minister Lindiwe Hendricks, this arrangement does not apply to “informal settlements”. Instead, it was put in place for what she calls “formal establishments” and the townships.

Hendricks told told MPs on Wednesday that the needs of informal settlers will be addressed through housing and human settlement programmes.

The minister says her department has requested that the National Treasury make available the R600-million earmarked for bucket eradication in the 2007/2008 financial year, so that the December 2007 deadline can be met.

Informal settlements and townships exist in all of South Africa’s major towns and cities, and many more have sprung up in recent years as following the movement of people from rural to urban areas in search of work.