Residents in Duncan Village are kicking up a stink over the foul waste coming from their overflowing public toilets.
Ablution facilities in the informal settlement are in such a bad state that more than half the bowls are overflowing constantly.
Florence Mnganteni, 57, a resident said she had to learn to live with the faeces which oozes through cracks into her home.
When the Daily Dispatch visited her home, the floor of the entire shack was wet. As one approaches her bed there is a mat that she uses to cover a hole which has been created by polluted water.
“I live in a toilet. I have reported this to the person responsible for the maintenance of the toilets. This has been going on for the past two years because these toilets block daily and overflow into our shacks,” said Mngamteni.
Mngamnteni, who assists in a local creche in Duncan Village, told the Dispatch how she ended up buying cement to block the overflow from damaging her shack.
“The reason I live in a shack is because I cannot afford to build myself a house, but because of the sewage situation I had to buy two bags of cement so that I could build a barrier for the waste.
“As you can see that has not helped at all,” said Mngamnteni.
In a shack opposite her, Ntombentsha Nanzi, 50, said she had to dig a trench around her shack so that she could redirect the overflow. “I am disabled, my mobility is limited, but I had to stand and dig a trench just to avoid my shack from becoming a toilet.”
Residents say that they have reported the toilet blockages which have become a hazard to their health and their very limited hygiene.
Nanzi said her shack is always wet from the water and the drainage from the public toilets and it makes it almost impossible to breath.
“We inhale faeces every day, we cook in faeces, we live in it,” said Nanzi.
Living with effluent from overflowing toilets
Ablution facilities in the informal settlement are in such a bad state that more than half the bowls are overflowing constantly.
Florence Mnganteni, 57, a resident said she had to learn to live with the faeces which oozes through cracks into her home.
When the Daily Dispatch visited her home, the floor of the entire shack was wet. As one approaches her bed there is a mat that she uses to cover a hole which has been created by polluted water.
“I live in a toilet. I have reported this to the person responsible for the maintenance of the toilets. This has been going on for the past two years because these toilets block daily and overflow into our shacks,” said Mngamteni.
Mngamnteni, who assists in a local creche in Duncan Village, told the Dispatch how she ended up buying cement to block the overflow from damaging her shack.
“The reason I live in a shack is because I cannot afford to build myself a house, but because of the sewage situation I had to buy two bags of cement so that I could build a barrier for the waste.
“As you can see that has not helped at all,” said Mngamnteni.
In a shack opposite her, Ntombentsha Nanzi, 50, said she had to dig a trench around her shack so that she could redirect the overflow. “I am disabled, my mobility is limited, but I had to stand and dig a trench just to avoid my shack from becoming a toilet.”
Residents say that they have reported the toilet blockages which have become a hazard to their health and their very limited hygiene.
Nanzi said her shack is always wet from the water and the drainage from the public toilets and it makes it almost impossible to breath.
“We inhale faeces every day, we cook in faeces, we live in it,” said Nanzi.
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