Grootvlei mine houses get upgrades
Grootvlei mine residents have gotten a newly erected fence and brand new toilets as well as the opportunity to farm.
The MEC for Human Settlements of Gauteng, Jacob Mamabolo, arrived on these residents’ doorstep on Monday morning with a few surprises in store.
Mamabolo says he was extremely impressed with the way the community handled the situation of not having water, proper sanitation or security.
“They did not have a violent strike over the lack of service delivery they received, but peacefully hoped and engaged with the department to fix the matter,” he says.
Among the improvements to the area was the installation of five water-less toilet systems which were installed for the residents.
This is a pilot project which will be rolled out to all houses if the community is happy with these first five units.
These systems provide a safe, non-polluting and cost-effective solution to the sanitation crisis.
These are installed as permanent structures which never require replacement.
“It is the responsibility of the committee to give a report to the department on whether or not the toilets work.
“If the committee is not satisfied, they have to bring the report to the department and the toilets will be replaced.
“However, if they like the new toilet system, every house will have one of these toilets installed.”
Mamabolo says that one of the benefits of these toilets is that they do not need to be emptied.
“This system has a concealed tank underground that does not allow odour to be released,” says Lance Joel, managing director of the company which manufactures and installs these toilets.
“It’s a process of dehydration and evaporation, the faecal matter is turned into a compost-like material as it dries out in the tank.”
He adds that it gets cleaned every 12 months and that it’s a solution that can last up to 50 years.
“It’s 100% environmental friendly,” Joel concludes.
In addition to these toilets, the department also erected the fence and broke ground on what will become a farming area.
According to Mamabolo, the fence was erected to offer residents extra security against the zama-zamas (illegal miners) in the area.
Before leaving Grootvlei, Mamabolo hopped into one of the tractors which will be used to plough the ground for farming.
The area, which will be approximately two hectares large, will offer residents the opportunity to plant cabbages which they can then sell to the community.
Roughly 45 000 cabbages can be planted on this plot which will enable the residents to support themselves and their families.
