Sakhile Mokoena

Sakhile Mokoena

Some Mpumalanga communities continue to use buckets to relieve themselves even though the provincial government announced that it had done away with the system.

Last month the department of local government and housing threw a party to celebrate the eradication of all bucket toilets in the Gert Sibande district.

But Sowetan has learnt that the new toilet system was not ready for use and people were "temporarily" using mobile toilets that were no better than the old bucket system.

The mobile toilets that the government put up on street corners for communities to share are overflowing with human waste.

"No provision has been made to remove the sewage from these toilets once the tanks are full," said Anthony Benadie, DAmember in the Mpumalanga legislature.

The new flushing toilets are not ready for use because the water and sewage pipes have not been connected.

Benadie visited Embalenhle township in Secunda on Monday and took pictures of over-flowing bucket toilets.

He has called on Jabu Mahlangu, MEC for local government and housing, to provide the legislature with reasons why the new toilet system was not fully functional and how much was spent on the party to celebrate the eradication of the bucket system.

"What I saw made me realise that the Delmas typhoid outbreak could be nothing compared to the potential crisis we could face in Secunda," Benadie said.