Cape Town - The ringleaders behind the poo-flinging attacks in Cape Town have given Western Cape Premier Helen Zille and mayor Patricia de Lille an ultimatum to install their proposed toilet model for the city by the end of September or risk national government intervention.
The group revealed on Wednesday what they called an alternative solution to the sanitation crisis in the Western Cape during a media briefing in Site BM Khayelitsha.
It follows the ANC’s working committee decision to temporarily suspend the membership of seven of its members believed to be the ringleaders behind the poo-throwing protests.
Holding up a pamphlet of a Zapiro cartoon depicting Zille’s head as a toilet pot, and the words “I know, I know… it was a crap idea” written on it, the group, including some of the suspended members, said they had taken it upon themselves to explore alternatives to Zille’s “potta-potta” toilets.
Lwandile Baba gave a demonstration of how the SMARTSAN recycle toilet unit works. The tanks takes 300 litres of water, which is put in every three months.
The system uses bacteria that “digest” all the sewage from the pan. Toilet paper and newspapers are dissolved into liquid.
The pumps are run by solar power on top of the roof of the dwelling and a back-up battery is inside.
The toilet can be connected to between two or three houses.
The water that is poured into the system is circulated and cleaned up and then flushed back into the system.
Suspended ANC members Loyiso Nkohla and Andile Lili said they wanted the toilet model to be made available to each household in the township this month.
Lili added that residents had already indicated that they would be happy with the type of toilets the group is proposing.
Nkohla said that that the protest action by residents was not driven by any partisan political agenda.
“They (the protests) are caused by and driven by the despicable living conditions in our communities.”
He challenged the city to come up with a better solution, if it had any to bring to the table.
The group refused to discuss their temporary suspension by the ANC, saying the matter was internal.
Sthembele Majova said: “Some of the people charged, they don’t know anything about that. They have not been informed by the ANC.”
Cape Argus