This, as the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, confirms the Free State has a backlog of more than 10 200 bucket toilets that still needs to be removed. The lack of adequate sanitation in the province came in the spotlight earlier this year when Stats SA’s released the non-financial census of municipalities report. The report indicated that the Free State - together with the Northern Cape, North West, and the Eastern Cape - had recorded an increase of pit latrine users. The survey indicates that 37 out of 257 municipalities provided bucket toilets to residents in 2019, with most of them being those in the Free State. The municipalities of Setsoto, Nala, Nketoana, Ngwathe and Metsimaholo in the province were ranked among the top ten municipalities countrywide with inadequate sanitation. 

READ: Bucket toilets a concern in central SA

Sisulu, in a statement released on Tuesday, confirms that this is still a major cause of concern. She says the Housing Development Agency (HDA) has now been appointed to source capacity for the Free State Bucket Eradication Programme (BEP). She highlights the work of bucket eradication in the province is expected to be completed by March 2022.

The projects will concentrate on the towns of Clocolan, Ficksburg, Senekal, Reitz, Petrus Steyn, Arlington, and Dealesville. The Municipalities affected are Setsoto, Nketoana, and Tokologo. Sisulu confirms the scope of work will include construction, refurbishment and upgrading of waste water infrastructure in these towns in an effort to eradicate bucket toilets.

“As the Implementing Agent, the HDA is responsible for the procurement of service providers and this will be carried out in terms of the HDA’s procurement policy. In an endeavour to uplift the towns, use of local labour during construction has been highlighted and where possible, procurement from local SMMEs shall form part of the conditions of contract for the contractor(s),” she added.

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