Seven months after it was first reported, public restrooms located at Klippies Bay, adjacent to Kogel Bay, are yet to be cleaned and repaired by the City of Cape Town.
Last November, DistrictMail reported on dilapidated state of bathrooms which are also dirty, filled with rubbish, broken and vandalised (“Shocking state of public toilets”, 11 November 2021).
Residents and holidaymakers bemoaned the poor maintenance and lack of security as contributors to the situation.
Rooi Els resident Wolfgang Stenbach said a visit to the premises last week yielded no joy.
“I wonder if they ever fixed the problem?” he asked. “It has actually worsened and the facility is in a terrible state.”
The City confirmed the ablutions have been closed since last year, pending the availability of funding. It said cleaning is ongoing, but vandalism and dumping reduces the effectiveness of all efforts.
Patricia van der Ross, Mayoral Committee member for Community Services and Health, assured that funds had been made available to improve the state of the facility in the 2022-’23 financial year, which came into effect on Friday 1 July.
She said the first scheduled task is the repair of the road, which in its current state does not allow for vehicle access to the ablutions. It was previously eroded by heavy flooding.
“Road repairs are scheduled to begin in August. The ablution block will remain locked while road repairs are underway. Cleaning is conducted weekly; unfortunately the cleanliness is not sustained as vandalism and illegal dumping persist.”
Van der Ross added that, as an additional security measure, barriers were placed in front of the locked gates at the entrance of the facility because private security is not in the budget.
“Once road repairs are concluded, the ablutions will be restored. Both the road and the ablutions are planned to be completed by November.”
The cost of maintaining the ablution facility once it is in working order is estimated at R20 000 per month. As an interim alternative, the ablution block at Kogel Bay’s main camp has 10 operational ablution blocks for use.
Previously, the two block ablutions at Sparks Bay day camp could also be used, but the camp has been closed since April as a result of weather damage. Repairs to these ablutions will take place simultaneously and are scheduled for completion by the end of November.
The City reiterated that the cost of private security is about R40 000 per month and, unfortunately, it not feasible for the department to assign private security to guard ablution blocks, compared with competing departmental priorities with limited budget.
