Community sees relief as refurbished toilets and new installations ease years of struggle

• Overcome Heights informal settlement has found relief with the refurbishment of 20 toilets and installation of 20 new flush toilets, addressing long-standing issues of malfunctioning facilities.
• The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation directorate also plans to add more toilets and taps in the coming financial year as part of a broader effort to improve sanitation in informal settlements.
• Despite ongoing challenges like vandalism and sewer disruptions, residents are encouraged to report issues promptly for maintenance.Years of struggle with broken, overflowing and malfunctioning toilets in Overcome Heights informal settlement have been relieved with the refurbishment of 20 toilets and the installation of 20 new-flush toilets.

Years of struggle with broken, overflowing and malfunctioning toilets in Overcome Heights informal settlement have been relieved with the refurbishment of 20 toilets and the installation of 20 new-flush toilets.

Last week, the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation directorate also installed four new taps and plans to add another 20 full-flush toilets for the 2024-’2025 financial year.

In December last year, community leader Karen Mentoor highlighted the lack of functioning toilets to People’s Post. 

At the time, she expressed her disappointment that broken toilets were filled to the brim with garbage forcing residents to dig a hole “to do their business”.

“For me, a toilet is a necessity and all we want is for the City to come and fix the toilets so that people can use it,” she said at the time.

Overcome Heights informal settlement has 20 new toilets after years of non-functioning and overflowing toilets. PHOTO: Natasha Bezuidenhout

When People’s Post visited the area on Wednesday 29 November last year, more than 10 toilets were either broken, overflowing with sewage and garbage or had no doors or handles.

In a statement last week, the City shared that it is investing over R53 million to install taps and toilets in 480 informal settlements across Cape Town as part of the current 2023-’24 financial year.

READ | ‘Having a toilet is a human right’: Vandalised and broken toilets in Overcome Heights a ‘big issue’

Situated in False Bay coastal park, Overcome Heights is a culturally diverse informal settlement.

“The City was able to install traditional full-flush toilets, as it does wherever it is geographically and legally possible,” the statement read.

“Formal ablution blocks can only be installed in certain parts.

“Where there is space for laying of pipes and reticulation infrastructure or construction of toilet blocks.”

Currently, the City provides 1 738 toilets to the area from portable flush toilets (PFTs) to container toilets and chemical toilets.

Nosithandiwe Mene at one of the newly installed full-flush toilets in Overcome Heights Informal Settlement.PHOTO: Supplied

‘Viable alternatives’

The City’s Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien commented: “Where there are constraints such as limited space, land ownership issues, close proximity to a wetland or communities established on a sand dune; residents are provided for with viable alternatives.

“The City currently spends more than R300 million in annual servicing costs of toilets in informal settlements; this includes 14 740 chemical toilets, 11 062 container based toilets approximately 26 000 portable flush toilets and 135 conservancy tanks,” he said.

“We encourage residents to assist us to ensure the toilets and taps are clean and in good working order.”

The condition of a toilet at Overcome Heights informal settlement in December last year, before the refurbishment and installation of new toilets. PHOTO: Natasha Bezuidenhout

Informal settlements, however, regularly experience sewer network disruptions due to vandalism or blockages in the system often caused by wet wipes, rags, diapers, sanitary pads and other foreign objects flushed down the toilets, he added.

“If they experience issues such as pipe leakage, damaged toilets structures or taps, theft and vandalism, residents are encouraged to log a service request so our teams can come out and attend to the problem.”

Residents are encouraged to report vandalism and sewer blockages as soon as possible.