This comes months after the South African Human Rights Commission in the Free State said the most violated human rights in the province remains the right to water and sanitation. Residents in Botshabelo, Thaba Nchu, Senekal and Clocolan are among the many that for years had to do with bucket toilets and struggle to access water. OFM News previously reported that according to the most recent non-financial Census of Municipalities (MFCM) there is a growing number of bucket toilets in the Mangaung Metro and Setsoto Local Municipality. The number of households using buckets toilets has increased by over 1 700 from the year 2016 to 2017 in Setsoto and close to 800 in Mangaung.

The two municipalities are currently counted among the 18 Free State municipalities with adverse audit opinions and requiring urgent intervention. Head of the Water and Sanitation Department in the province, Tsediso Ntili, two months ago confirmed that the eradication of bucket systems in the province is among some of the pressing issues they were grappling with. He said the lack of adequate sanitation in rural areas is one of the things on top of their to-do list this year as the Free State is counted among the provinces with the highest number of households still making use of bucket toilets.

Source: OFM News