This is according to the Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Department. Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says it is concerning that some areas in the country are still without basic services. 

Leading an oversight inspection at the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works on Wednesday, Sisulu has vowed to address several water and sanitation challenges in the country. Her statement comes just days after OFM News reported on a damning report by Stats SA and how the latest Non-Financial Census of Municipalities indicates the high number of residents still subjected to bucket toilets and poor services. The survey indicated that inadequate sanitation is still a major issue as 37 out of 257 municipalities provided bucket toilets to residents in 2019, with most of them being those in the Free State.

Whilst Sisulu welcomed the progress that has been made in the country, particularly towards the upgrade of the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works to restore it from its severely deteriorated state, she acknowledged that there is still a long way to go towards addressing challenges plaguing the entire country.

The Non-Financial Census of Municipalities highlighted that Sisulu’s department needs to work closer with other departments and municipalities to address water and sanitation issues in the country. The mushrooming of informal settlements in the different provinces have also proved to be a major challenge that needs to be prioritised.

The survey indicated that the bucket toilet system is a major challenge in the Free State’s Setsoto, Nala, Nketoana, Ngwathe and Metsimaholo Municipalities as they are ranked among the top ten municipalities countrywide with inadequate sanitation.

OFM News