Public toilets meant to serve thousands of residents and workers in the Buffalo City Metro are in such an appalling condition that some are being used as makeshift kitchens, while others are avoided entirely because of filth, safety risks and fears of disease.
The Daily Dispatch has found public ablution facilities in the East London CBD and surrounding areas are severely dilapidated, forcing municipal employees, hawkers and the public to use unhygienic and, in several cases, unusable toilets — or relieve themselves elsewhere.
At several sites, toilets have been reduced to shells of broken infrastructure, with missing basins, no running water, damaged roofs and the stench of sewage hanging in the air.
In some instances, staff working at the facilities have repurposed toilet cubicles for food preparation because there are no safe alternative workspaces available.
At Market Square in the East London CBD, only four of the 12 toilets in the female section work.
Conditions in the male section are worse, with just two of five toilets working while the broken basins have no running water.
Leaking roofs, peeling paint and a strong stench characterise the facilities, yet municipal employees and the public continue to rely on them.
Hawkers operating in the area say the conditions pose a serious health risk.
Nomtha Dobela, a fruit and vegetable hawker who has been running her business for nearly a decade, said she depended on the public toilets.
“We are here the whole day, and those are the only facilities we can use,” she said.
Another hawker, Zine Hogana, said: “We suffer on a daily basis, but we have no choice because we are here to run businesses and sustain our livelihoods,” she said.
“We hope the municipality will do something and maintain the facilities, because they are in demand.”
Safety concerns compound the problem.
Vagrants have been observed sleeping near entrances and allegedly using drugs inside the facilities and occupying access paths, endangering metro workers and the public.
The surrounding areas have also become hotspots for illegal dumping and public urination.
One of the worst-affected facilities, the Argyle Street public toilets, is located a short distance from offices used by the mayor, speaker and chief whip.
Street vendors said they avoided the facilities entirely.
One vendor, who asked not to be named, said: “I’ve been working here since 2019 and I don’t bother using the toilets. The conditions are unspeakable.
“We rather urinate behind cars or ask to use toilets at the nearby stores.”
She said vagrants used the toilets for shelter.
When the Dispatch tried to access the Argyle Street toilets, both the male and female sections were inaccessible, with floors covered in faeces, litter and flooded water, while holes were visible in the roof.
Similar conditions were observed at the ablution facilities at the Oriental Plaza, with only one of five toilets in working order.
One cubicle had been converted into a kitchen, while adjacent urinals were out of order. Another toilet had no electricity, forcing staff to work in darkness or keep the facility closed.
In one case, a toilet had running water but no seat, while all the wash basins had been stolen, making basic hygiene impossible.
There was no toilet paper in either male or female sections, and employees reportedly used broken chairs due to a lack of proper seating.
A municipal inspection conducted in February reportedly identified many of these problems and made recommendations to improve the facilities.
Months later, however, conditions have continued to deteriorate.
At Market Square, a BCM worker responsible for cleaning the male toilets said removing vagrants was a persistent challenge.
“It was a problem taking amaphara out of the toilets at first. They would enter and smoke inside,” the worker, who asked not to be named for fear of losing his job, said.
He pointed out leaking pipes and broken windows, saying they were a hazard.
“The water coming from the overhead pipes runs down when it rains and it floods in here,” he said.
“Wind comes through the damaged windows. It’s not good.”
The burglar gate at the entrance of the male toilets was also damaged and unsafe, he said.
“I worry, especially for the elderly who use these toilets.”
Opposition political parties in the metro have called for urgent intervention.
DA caucus leader Sue Bentley said the party would formally question the administration on the issue in the new year.
“The DA will submit a notice of question to the relevant directorates to ascertain exactly what the current state of public ablution facilities is and what plans, including allocating sufficient budget and timeframes, BCM will make to rectify the situation,” Bentley said.
She said a lack of co-ordination was worsening the crisis.
“BCM directorates operate in silos and shrug off responsibility. Public toilets are a cross-cutting issue that requires directorates to work together and act urgently.”
The UDM’s leader in the metro, Anele Skoti, said the party had repeatedly raised concerns about the deterioration of the facilities.
“It is unacceptable what BCM is doing by not sustaining public toilets,” he said.
“There are people suffering from chronic illnesses who need ablution facilities but are scared to go because they could be affected by diseases.
“These facilities have also become dens of drug dealing. We do not feel safe at all.”
BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile confirmed the municipality was aware of the challenges.
“The municipality is actively working to restore all affected facilities as resources allow,” he said, adding that vandalism was a major factor.
“Persistent vandalism, theft of infrastructure and misuse of facilities significantly hamper maintenance efforts,” Fuzile said.
He acknowledged that it was unacceptable for municipal staff to use toilets as places to prepare food and said management was addressing the issue.
Fuzile said repairs were ongoing and the city’s security services were working with the police to address safety concerns.
“The municipality wishes to assure residents that these matters are receiving attention,” he said.
Daily Dispatch
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