Over 5 800 new toilets and 700 taps installed in informal settlements

Through its Informal Settlements and Basic Services branch, the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate provided 709 new taps and 5 873 toilets across more than 75 informal settlements during the 2024/25 financial year.

At a cost of just over R35 million, the City said it formed part of its efforts to expand access to basic services, particularly clean water and safe sanitation.

The latest rollout brings the total number of services provided to 69 081 toilets and 10 488 taps across 702 informal settlements throughout the City.

"Water and sanitation service delivery is about more than just provision of basic infrastructure. The hard work being done by our Informal Settlement and Basic Services branch to maintain these facilities, is to restore dignity and continuously improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable communities," said mayco member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien.

Initially, the City set out to install 750 taps and 3 500 toilets during the financial year. 

However, the tap target was missed due to delays in sourcing local labour, the City said. 

Another obstacle was the discovery of unknown underground services during excavations, necessitating changes in design and new wayleave approvals, as well as extensive community engagement needed in some cases to address extortion threats.

The remaining installations will continue into the 2025/26 financial year, the City said. 

Other successes in service delivery in informal settlements during the 2024/25 financial year included portable flush toilets rolled out to 31 informal settlements; and over 11 900 households benefited from improved sanitation services.

"We acknowledge that infrastructure delivery in informal settlements comes with unique challenges, but our teams are working tirelessly, often under very difficult circumstances to ensure that no communities are left behind due to their socio-economic circumstances. Every tap and toilet installed is another step toward attaining dignity for all of our residents," said Badroodien.

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