SEDIBENG - During apartheid, the people of Evaton in Gauteng were at the forefront of the fight against apartheid. They had hope that one day their lives would improve. But, 30 years into democracy, this hope has died. And, as Zandile Khumalo explains, people are drowning in sewage.
It was a place that was officially established in 1904 although for decades before it was a home to the Nguni, BaSotho and BaTswana.
During the mid-1980s the area was the scene of violent unrest which culminated in a state of emergency being declared.
When democracy was finally won in 1994 those who called Evaton home looked forward to a better life.
A decade later it seemed this would be realised when the Evaton Renewal Project (ERP) was launched. It was one of eight urban renewal projects countrywide, four of which were in Gauteng.
At least R3.6 billion was set aside for the ERP. The promise was improved roads, sanitation and housing as well as creating the right environment for the local economy to grow.
Thirty years later, nothing much has changed in the area, situated about 60km outside Johannesburg.
Broken promise of R3.6 billion
According to the 2016 Auditor General’s report findings only R708 million of the funds were allocated to the project by 2014 to 2015.
The AG found that poor planning, delays, and a lack of accountability resulted in ‘small’ and ‘less impactful’ projects.
Furthermore, the project did not have deadlines and, as a result, plans were often deferred.
Today, 30 years after democracy, families continue with outdated sanitation systems like pit toilets.
A community made to feel less than human
For one resident, Sfiso Nhlapho, it has become something of a family tradition to scavenge for corrugated iron. Years ago, his father did it to seal the human excrement in their pit toilet. Today, he does the same.
He said that building a new toilet can take up to a week as a hole must be dug deep into the ground. To date he has dug more than three holes in the yard. Now, with years having passed, he is running out of space.
There is also a cost factor. Over time, the materials used erode and new ones must be bought.
Another resident, Mzaki Shabalala, said they had to be careful when closing old pit toilets. Corrugated sheets had to be used to prevent accidents, especially with children.
Maria Molakeng, 56, said she remembers how a child fell into a pit toilet and had to be fished out.
"We cannot live freely we are always on guard."
She said that while the apartheid government treated them as sub-humans, little had changed with the democratic dispensation.
Molakeng said many pensioners could not walk to the pit-toilets outside their homes and had taken to relieving themselves in buckets. These then had to be emptied the next morning.
She added that residents were now being cautious about who they allowed to use their toilets because once it was full, there was no space to dig a new hole.
For residents like wheelchair-bound Elizabeth Mlangeni, the challenges are even greater.
She must depend on her children to help her to the pit toilet. For her getting to a pit toilet and using it is an experience that is both difficult and undignified.
Kingsol Chabalala, a Democratic Alliance member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, said the issues around sanitation was like a diarrhoea that refused to go away.
He said over time more than 50 contractors were assigned to eradicate pit toilets, but the job was never done and those who were paid were never held to account.
Government admits to failure
Tasneem Motara, the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, admitted the delays and blamed it on poor planning and coordination. She said various government departments needed to share the blame of all that had gone wrong.
According to Motara, work only began 13 years after the project was announced with a R60 million budget.
The plan was to start off with building communal ablution facilities but, after five percent of the work being done, construction stopped due to violence and vandalism.
“Out of the budget we only spent R9 million. What we did not spend was redirected to other projects we could do or if we were unable to spend all of it, we had to surrender it to treasury. Since then, we have done 30 additional communicable toilets and only connected ten to the water and that was far has we have gone,” she said.
Motara said that from November this year work had started in three wards in Evaton - 41, 42 and ward 44.
She said R24.4 million had been allocated for ward 41 and more funds would be allocated to the two other wards depending on the scope of work.
The people of Evaton are sceptical. They’ve waited too long and have been disappointed too often. For them, hope is as dead as the human waste they do their best to hide.
By Zandile Khumalo
Video by Omesh Naidoo