Mayor Patricia de Lille addressing approximately 200 SJC members who gathered outside the Civic Centre earlier today to mark the launch of a janitorial service for communal toilets in the City's informal settlement - a long standing major demand of the SJC.
“The Launch of a Janitorial Service For all Informal Settlements in Cape Town is a victory for South Africa and for human dignity. We hope all municipalities will follow suit.”
– Archbishop Thabo Makgoba
Today, approximately 200 Social Justice Coalition (SJC) members will gather outside the Cape Town Civic Centre – joined by Mayor Patricia de Lille, ward councilors, and partners – to mark the City’s announcement (see here) of a new service for informal settlements which could drastically improve the quality of sanitation services.
Just over a year ago – on Freedom Day – 2500 people marched from St. Georges Cathedral lead by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba and other community leaders to the City of Cape Town’s Civic Centre. There, a queue was formed behind a toilet to draw attention to the lack of access to clean and safe sanitation facilities for hundreds of thousands living in the City’s informal settlements. A petition signed by more than 10 000 people was handed over to the Mayor’s Office requesting amongst other things improved maintenance and monitoring of existing sanitation facilities through the introduction of a janitorial service for communal toilets. Today, the City will officially announce the rollout of this service, signaling a significant shift in policy with the potential to have a major impact on the quality of life in informal settlements. This is thanks both to sustained community activism, and a willingness to affect positive change through meaningful partnerships.
At the start of the Social Justice Coalition’s (SJC) campaign for clean and safe sanitation in 2010, the City’s initial response was characterized by refusal to productively engage or acknowledge the vast challenges that exist around sanitation provision. This has changed over the past year. Following sustained pressure culminating in the SJC’s Freedom Day queue, the new administration under the leadership of Mayor Patricia de Lille and utilities head Clr. Shehaam Sims has been far more open to engagement, for the first time acknowledging that just under 500 000 people in the city of Cape Town don’t have access to basic sanitation facilities, and that in some communities more than 100 households must share one toilet stall (others have no toilets at all) – facts previously refuted.
The SJC has met with the Mayor and other city officials on a regular basis to identify areas in urgent need of improvement, as well as discuss how to progressively deliver sanitation services to all in need and more generally how to improve life in informal settlements. In September 2011, the Mayor opened the SJC’s Cape Town Sanitation Summit, along with leader of the opposition Tony Ehrenreich, ward councilors, and more than sixty partner organisations. One of the main areas of intervention discussed intensively has been the janitorial service. Up until now, no maintenance has been provided for permanent communal flush toilets despite such high levels of use resulting in many toilets being unhygienic, dangerous, and often unusable. A united commitment by all parties concerned to address this deficiency has been instrumental in forcing action.
The SJC has recommended that the janitorial service involve the appointment of community workers responsible for cleaning and sanitizing of toilets, conducting minor repairs and ensuring that larger faults are identified and reported to the relevant City department. The project will cover all informal settlements in the City of Cape Town, with at least 500 janitors serving by the end of June 2012. As an interim measure janitors will be hired on a full-time basis under the Expanded Public Works Program (EPWP) from the City’s Job Seekers database, although it is envisaged that this will later shift to a Community Work Program (CWP) with potentially over 1500 janitors.
The SJC and its members will not be involved in the implementation of the service but will continue to independently monitor performance (including working conditions and training of janitors) and broader sanitation provision.
The decision to launch this service is a result of sustained activism and engagement by SJC members across Khayelitsha as well as partners and supporters across Cape Town and the country, who have consistently supported the continuing campaign for healthy, safe and dignified sanitation facilities. However, there is much work left to be done. We must now ensure that this service is rolled out appropriately, which will necessarily need to include meaningful engagement with all affected communities. We must ensure that other sanitation related services including refuse collection and maintenance of temporary toilet facilities – all currently outsourced – are improved dramatically. We will also continue to work with all levels of government to ensure that access to basic sanitation is progressively realised, and that the Constitutional rights of all those living in informal settlements are advanced.
The SJC is mindful that 16 million people across South Africa still do not have access to basic sanitation facilities. We feel that similar interventions should be considered in municipalities across the country. As such, we have presented our recommendations and research on maintenance and monitoring of sanitation facilities in informal settlements to the National Department of Human Settlements, The National Ministerial Sanitation Task team (lead by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela), South African Local Governments Association, The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, The Human Rights Commission, and the Public Protector.
Access to clean and safe sanitation facilities for all is a right, not a luxury. We must continue to work together until such time as this – one of Apartheid’s greatest legacies and one of today’s biggest challenges – is rectified.
For comment please contact Axolile Notywala on 0742895220 or Gavin Silber on 0837779981.
U SJC Wamkela Isiqalo Senkonzo Yokucocwa KweZindlu Zangase Zesixeko Ezisisigxina Ezigungxulwayo
“Isiqalo sokucocwa kwezindlu zangasese kuwo onke amatyotyombe aseKapa yimpumelelo yoMzantsi Afrika neyesidima soluntu. Sithemba ukuba bonke oomasipala bazokulandela.”
– Archbishop Thabo Makgoba
Mayor Patricia de Lille with the SJC's Axolile Notywala.
Namhlanje, amalungu kaSocial Justice Coalition (SJC) aqikelelwa ku 200 azawudibana ngaphandle kwe Civic Centre yeSixeko saseKapa – bekunye noSodolophu uPatricia De Lille, ooceba kunye nabalingani esisebenzisana nabo – ukubonakalisa isibhengezo senkonzo entsha yasematyotyombeni enokuwuphucula ngamandla umgangatho weenkonzo zezindlu zangasese.
Kunyaka nje odlulileyo – ngoMhla Wenkululeko – abantu abayi 2500 benza umngcelele besuka e St. Georges Cathedral bekhokhelwe ngu Archbishop Thabo Makgoba kunye nezinye iinkokheli besiya kwi Civic Centre yeSixeko SaseKapa. Apho, kwenziwa khona umkrozo emva kwendlu yangasese kubonakaliswa ukungabikho nokungafumaneki kwezindlu zangasese kumakhulu amawaka abantu abahlala ematyotyombeni esisixeko. Umqulu owawutyikitywe ngabantu abangapha kwe 10 000 wanikezelwa kwii-ofisi zikaSodolophu ufuna izinto ezifana nokujongwa nokulungiswa kwezindlu zangasese ezikhoyo, ngokuthi kuqaliswe uhlobo lokucocwa kwezindlu zangasese ezisetyenziswa luluntu lonke. Namhlanje, iSixeko sizakuchaza ngokusesikweni ukuqaliswa koluhlobo lomsebenzi, nto leyo ebonakalisa utshintsho olubalulekileyo kwimithetho nemigaqo ekhoyo enokuba nemiphumela emikhulu kwiimpilo zabantu abahlala ematyotyombeni. Lo ngumbulelo kubahlali abanentshukumo benyamezele, nasekuzimiseleni kwabo ekubeni negalelo lokuzisa utshintsho ngothetha-thethwano olubambiseneyo.
Ekuqaleni komkhamnkaso ka Social Justice Coalition (SJC) ngo 2010 wezindlu zangasese ezicocekileyo nezikhuselekileyo, impendulo yesixeko yokuqala yayibonakala ngokungavumi ukufuna ukuxoxa nokuzivuma iingxaki ezikhoyo kunikezelo lweenkonzo zezindlu zangasese. Oku kuye kwatshintsha kunyaka ogqithileyo. Emveni koxinezelelo olumandla oluvele kumngcelele ka SJC ngemini yenkululeko, isigqeba esitsha esiphantsi kuka Sodolphu uPatricia De Lille nentloko ye yenkonzo u Clr. Shehaam Sims, kuye kwabakho iingxoxo ezivulelekileyo, kwabe kokokuqala ukuba ivunywe yamkelwe into yokuba abantu abangaphantsi nje kwe 500 000 kwisixeko saseKapa abafikeleli ekufumaneni izindlu zangasese, kwaye kwezinye iingingqi izindlu ezingaphezu kwe 100 kunyanzeleka zisebenzise indlu yangasese enye (abanye bengenayo kwa ubanayo indlu yangasese) – iinyani ebezikade ziphikwa.
U SJC sele edibene noSodolophu kunye nabanye abasebenzi besixeko kumatyeli amaninzi kujongwa ezona ndawo zidinga ukuphuculwa ngokukhawulezileyo, kuye kwakhona neengxoxo ezijonge ukuba zinganikezelwa njani iinkonzo zezindlu zangasese kubo bonke abazidingayo kwaye ngokuphandle zingaphuculwa njani iimpilo zabantu abahlala ematyotyombeni. Ngo September ku 2011, uSodolophu uvule Indibano kaSJC yaseKapa Ngezindlu Zangasese, inguye kunye nenkokheli yombutho ophikisayo uTony Ehrenreich, ooceba, kunye nemibutho esisebenzisana nayo engaphezu kwamashumi amathandathu. Omnye wemiba yokungenelela ephambili owaxoxwayo ngulo wokucocwa kwezindlu zangasese. Ukuzothi ga ngoku, akukho kulungiswa okwenziwayo kwezindlu zangasese ezisisigxina ezigungxulwayo nangona ukusetyenziswa kwazo kakhulu kuphembelela ekubeni unintsi lwezindlu zangasese zibe nokungcola, zingakhuseleki kwaye ngamaxesha amaninzi zingasebenziseki. Ukuzinikezela okubambiseneyo kwabo bachaphezelekayo ekukhawuleleni lengxaki kube sisixhobo ekunyanzeliseni intshukumo.
U SJC ucebise ukuba lenkonzo yokucocwa kwezindlu zangasese ibandakanye ukuchongwa kwabasebenzi basekuhlaleni abazakujongana nokucoca iitoilets, balungise izinto ezincinci ezimoshakeleyo kwaye baqinisekise ukuba umonakalo omkhulu uyafumaneka uchazwe kwisebe lesixeko elifanelelkileyo.
Le project izakuquka zonke indawo ezinamatyotyombe zeSixeko saseKapa, kukho abantu abayi 500 abazakwenza lomsebenzi ekupheleni kwenyanga kaJune/yeSilimela ku2012. Ngokomngeneleli wethutyana abacoci bazakuqashwa isigxina phantsi kwe Expanded Public Works Program (EPWP) bethathwa ku Mqulu Wabafuni-Msebenzi Besixeko, kodwa kujongwe ekubeni oluhlobo lokuqasha lungatshintshelwa kuhlobo lwe Community Works Program (CWP) ekuhambeni kwethuba apho kunobakho abacoci abangaphezulu kwe 1500. U SJC namalungu akhe abazubandakanyeka ekuqashweni nasekuqalweni kwalenkonzo kodwa bazakuqhubekeka bejonga ukusebenza kwayo njengo mbutho ozimeleyo, nto leyo izakuquka ukujongwa kwendlela yokusebenza kunye noqeqesho lwabacoci, nokunikezelwa kezindlu zangasese kuphela.
Isigqibo sokuqaliswa kwalenkonzo kungenxa yamalungu kaSJC abentshukumo ekuhlaleni nothetha-thewano eKhayelitsha nemibutho esisebenzisana nayo kunye nabaxhasi abaseKapa naseMzantsi Afrika uphela, abathe gqolo ukuxhasa lomkhankaso uqhubekekayo wezindlu zangasese ezisempilweni, ezikhuselekileyo kwaye ezinesidima. Kodwa ke, usemninzi umsebenzi ekufuneka wenziwe. Ngoku kufanele siqinisekise ukuba lenkonzo iyaphunyekezwa ngokwendlela eyiyo, nto leyo izawunyanzelisa isidingo sothethwa-thethwano nazo zonke iingingqi ezibandakanyekayo. Kufuneka siqinisekise ukuba zonke ezinye iinkonzo ezinxulumene nezindlu zangasese ezibandakanya uthutho lwenkunkuma nokulungiswa kwezindlu zangasese ezingesosigxina – ezi ziqashisiweyo ngoku – ziphuculwa ngokukhawulezileyo. Sisezakuqhubekeka sisebenza nayo yonke imigangatho karhulumente ukuqinisekisa ukuba ukufumaneka kwezindlu zangasese kubonwa kuqhubekeka, kwaye amalungelo akumgaqo siseko abo bonke abahlala ematyotyombeni ayaphunyekezw.
U SJC uyayazi ukuba abantu abayi 16 million eMzantsi Afrika uphela nangoku abakafikeleli ekufumaneni izindlu zangasese. Sibona ukuba imingenela efana nale kufuneka ijongwe ngomasipala bonke eMzantsi Afrika. Ngokutsho, sinikezele ngalombono wethu nophando esilenzileyo ekulungisweni nasekujongweni kwezindlu zangasese ezimbacwini kwiNational Department of Human Settlements, National Ministerial Sanitation Task team (ekhokhelwe nguWinnie Madikizela-Mandela), The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, South African Local Governments Association, Human Rights Commission kunye ne Public Protector.
Ukufikeleleka kwizindlu zangasese ngumntu wonke lilungelo, hayi ubucwayicwayi. Kufuneka siqhubeke ngokusebenzisana sisonke kuze amaxesha efana nala – enye yezinto ezisaqhubekekayo ngenxa yoBandlululo nenye yeengxaki ezinkulu zanamhlanje – ayalungiswa.
