Hundreds of township toilets in Viljoenskroon, in the Free State, are still not enclosed as ordered by the SA Human Rights Commission 10 months ago

DA spokesman Mmusi Maimane said this was the finding of a party delegation that visited the Rammulotsi township in Viljoenskroon on Monday morning.

He said the Democratic Alliance would ask the Auditor General’s office in the province to investigate the Moqhaka local municipality’s failure to act.

“Our inspections of sanitation sites have revealed that an estimated 500 toilets are still not enclosed.” 

Maimane, Free State DA spokeswoman Patricia Kopane and the party’s human settlements spokesman Stevens Mokgalapa visited the town.

Many of the toilets, mostly in the backyards of houses, have been standing open since 2005.

Maimane said the company Danteb Building Construction CC, linked to the municipality’s former ANC mayor Mantebu Mokgosi, was given the contract to build the toilets.

The Human Rights Commission investigated in May 2011 and found the rights of residents to human dignity, privacy and a clean environment had been violated. It ordered the municipality to urgently enclose the toilet.

Maimane said another company was asked to enclose the outstanding toilets, but this had resulted in poor workmanship and quality.

“At least 150 of these structures were dismantled by the municipality in August last year,” he said.

The DA said this had led to further problems with, among others, the Development Bank of SA, which was helping the municipality finance the second process.

Maimane said the DA would like the AG to investigate the second company involved in fixing the remaining toilets and its possible links with the municipality.

He said the visit to Rammulotsi had revealed that people in the township were living in difficult conditions.

“The shocking conditions are a direct consequence of cronyism and corruption in the municipality,” said Maimane.

Moqhaka municipality spokesman Khojane Madiba said the municipality would comment later.