Sanitation in the streets

President Barack Obama at the University of Cape Town on 30 June 2013. Photo by Stephen Koigi under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.

Amelia Earnest

26 June 2013

Under a hail of criticism, the City is making attempts at sanitation improvements in the informal settlements. On June 25, 300 people took to the streets in a protest demanding faster action. This photo story looks at sanitation in Makhaza, Khayelitsha.


A Mshengu chemical toilet in Makhaza.


A collection site for portable flush toilet (PFT) waste containers in Makhaza.


A number marks each waste container, linking it to a household.


One criticism of the PFT is that is does not provide individuals with privacy.


Because of odor, some families choose to keep PFTs outdoors.


Each flush of the PFT requires the addition of several liters of water, which most families Makaza collect from shared spigots.


A broken and discarded portable flush toilet.


A girl brings water back to her home.


Around 300 people, many of them residents of Khayelitsha, marched to the Civic Centre in a call for improved sanitation on June 25.


The Social Justice Coalition, the group responsible for the May 2013 social audit condemning current sanitation services in Khayelitsha, organised the march.


Protesters demanded a sanitation plan within two weeks and a start to implementation within two months.


Lwandiso Stofile, a representative from the mayor’s office, accepted a paper detailing protestors’ demands. Mayor de Lille was not in attendance.