Marikana residents in Lower Crossroads are calling on the City of Cape Town to install new chemical toilets and communal taps in the area to eradicate a potential health catastrophe.
Residents say they are living in appalling conditions with limited communal taps and toilets due to vandals who are running amok in the area.
The prevailing challenges have, according to residents polarised the community with people clashing over the ownership of the toilets.
Residents are also being forced to seek alternative places, including nearby bushes to answer the call of nature.

Grievances fall on deaf ears

Community leader Loyiso Nkqintiza said the area has less than 200 toilets for a population of about 7 000 people. He added that they have been engaging with City officials regarding their plight, but their grievances have fallen on deaf ears. He said it has been three years since some of the communal toilets and taps stopped functioning.
Initially, he said, the City had installed 451 chemical toilets, but currently fewer than 200 of them are functioning. He stressed that some residents are resorting to portable toilets.
“The last time we engaged with City officials was on Tuesday, 1 September. They vowed to come back soon and they never came. Some of the vandalised toilets have no doors or toilet seats. Some of the communal taps have also been vandalised. Now we are facing a situation where we are fighting each other about using the toilet,” said Nkqintiza.

Buckets, bags and the bush

He stressed that some people are using buckets and plastic bags to relieve themselves, comparing the area to a pigsty.
Nkqintiza said the area stinks because of the mess.
“People are doing as they please. They dump human waste anywhere and dump it at night. The area is no longer fit for people, especially children, because it is filthy,” he said.
He said that out of more than 7 000 shacks in the area, they have 20 communal taps.
Nkqintiza highlighted crime as one of the major problems in the area with frequent shooting incidents.

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City responds

Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the City’s water and sanitation department is in the process of replacing the missing toilet doors.
Currently, there are 451 container toilets and 1 625 Portable Flush Toilets (PFTs) in the area, with services continuing without disruption.
“On Tuesday, 1 September, the relevant City water and sanitation department visited the site with community leadership to investigate issues raised earlier in the year, including about 105 missing doors from the container toilet structures. It is understood that, following engagements held between February and March, an agreement was reached for the team to return in the new financial year (from July 2026) to address the outstanding issues relating to doors and associated structures,” said Badroodien.
He said an order has been placed for doors and repairs or replacements will be scheduled once the new stock is received.
Badroodien urged residents to help the City look after toilet infrastructure in their area.