Lenasia pit toilets, now full, ‘unsanitary’ and ‘unsafe’

The lack of service delivery in the provision of sanitation has resulted in more than 100 houses being affected at Themb’Elihle sections N and F in Lenasia, with residents saying they are tired of pit toilets and that this is not the way to live.

A strong stench of faeces was prevalent in their yards and hundreds of bottle flies buzzed around.

According to Themb’Elihle residents, they were forced to use pit toilets which had not been drained for more than three months.

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The toilets were full and becoming a health hazard. Rose Magadlele, a resident from Themb’Elihle N section, said community members were not being helped by any authorities, despite complaints lodged.

The N section, she said, was the worst affected. “No-one can ask help from the other because we are all affected. The D section is better as they have been assisted.

I”This has become tough situation to live in,” she said. Magadlele lived with her disabled 14-year-old daughter, who struggled to use the toilets.

“As women, we are even more distressed by this because we are catching infections and falling sick,” she said.

“Although I always try to monitor her, at times my daughter decides to use the toilet the way it is and the next thing complains about not feeling well and experiencing painful irritations.

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“Now, even worse, it is summer. These toilets smell very bad because they are full.

“We have been complaining but no-one is helping. We do not know what to do now.”

While Themb’Elihle residents would like to have flushing toilets, Magadlele said they had accepted that was unlikely, but it was even more disturbing that they were now struggling with the pit toilets.

“We don’t have a choice but to accept what was given to us but [it] is just hard. We are living with germs and it is being normalised,” she said.

The Citizen tried to contact the local councillor, said to be Puseletso Nzimande, for comment but our calls were ignored.

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Josephine Msibi, 65, said she was defeated by the lack of assistance.

“I am really hurt by this. I cannot use my toilet any more. The smell is unbearable and no-one wants to help us,” she said.

“I have my own little business selling snacks and vegetables. When a customer asks for the bathroom, I lie and tell them someone is already inside because I am scared of what they will encounter. This situation is disgusting.”

Msibi said residents were forced to use these toilets in their current state because they were poor.

“Before things were okay but now no-one cares,” she said.

“We are living as if we are animals. The worst thing is the dirt of the toilets will now even come into our houses.

“We are really pleading now to be helped. We are getting sick and it is really hard.”

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Mandisa Langa said what she feared most was the safety of her children. “They are young and I am forcing them to use buckets because I do not want them to fall sick.

“Next thing a kid falls in and then there is an accident so I am trying to avoid that,” said Langa.

“Sometimes we go to nearby malls, not to shop but just to relieve ourselves. That is how bad the situation is.

“We do not even know who the councillor here is. No-one comes here.

“What’s funny is elections are coming and they will want us to vote for them but they cannot help us when we are facing such problems,” she said.

“Even the trucks that come here in other sections, sometimes we ask them to help us although they are not working in our sides, but they also want us to give them something like money which makes things even harder because we do not have that money. We are unemployed.”