The DA Loo Saga

[capetownguy]

Playing DA race over loos sad end to career

2010/01/28


IT is a tragedy that well-respected journalist Jimmy Matyu should end his final column by getting his facts all wrong in relation to the porcelain toilets that the DA-governed City of Cape Town has erected in Khayelitsha. (“The culmination of 48 years in journalism at an end” The Herald, January 26).

The community of Khayelitsha agreed the budget that was available to build 300 toilets would be extended to erect just under 1 300 toilets.

The quid pro quo was that the community would build the shelters around the toilets. This arrangement was endorsed by the ANC ward councillor.

Under the previous ANC administration in Cape Town, a precedent had been set for this in Philippi. Some 96% of the recipients in Khayelitsha erected shelters around the toilets as agreed.

The problem lies with a small minority.

To brand the DA as racist because the community agreed to erect their own shelters so each family could have their own toilet, as opposed to five families sharing a toilet, which is the national ANC norm for these settlements, is ridiculous.

It displays a prejudice which is unbecoming of a journalist of Matyu’s standing.

Under the DA administration in Cape Town more BEE companies win tenders than under the ANC because the process is transparent and open to the public.

Crime is down by 92% in the city centre. It is no wonder that thousands of people leave the dysfunctional Eastern Cape and stream to the Western Cape en masse.

Sadly, the more the DA delivers in Cape Town and in the Western Cape, one can expect the race card to be played more and more.

It’s time for this metro to do what the DA has done for Cape Town. Bring on the municipal election, bring it on! – Bobby Stevenson, MPL, DA Leader in the Provincial Legislature, Bhisho

 

[capetownguy]

Dan Plato, Council Speech

Speaker, the allegations by the ANC Youth League that the City has violated residents' rights by not building walls around toilets in the Makhaza section of Khayelitsha, is without foundation. There has been a clear and negotiated agreement between the City and Makhaza residents ratifying this situation for almost three years.

The City of Cape Town is committed to working with communities in the provision of sustainable housing by involving them in the decision making process as far as possible. This is why the City in 2007 agreed, together with the Ward Councillor, to build more temporary - type toilets for Ward 95 than initially planned with the clear and agreed proviso that the residents would build the toilet walls themselves.

Residents of the Makhaza community made this commitment and the City - in good faith and in compliance with what had been negotiated, built the toilets without walls. The City built 1316 toilets, and 1265 were enclosed by the residents at their own cost, totalling 96% of the structures.

The concern over the toilet enclosures has never been previously raised in any of the numerous meetings held with the community to discuss service delivery issues, nor in the Subcouncil.

It may well be that in spite of the agreement certain residents cannot afford to provide the walls for the toilets. The Council has always been willing to assist this and all other informal settlement communities wherever possible. In fact, the 51 residents who have claimed that they could not afford to enclose the City-provided toilets with self-constructed walls met Council officials to see how they could be assisted.

Council offered to provide them with second-hand building materials. However, on Monday, City officials were stopped on site by members of the Ward Forum who did not want the City to provide materials to enclose the remaining toilets. The City will now supply concrete enclosures that it has in stock. Further presentations will be made at Subcouncil about future plans for the area and the potential for housing provision. The Forum is of the opinion that if Council encloses the remaining toilets it will cause division in community because most residents, in complying with the negotiated agreement have already bought building material and enclosed the toilets near their homes at their own cost.

Speaker, it is clear that the City has honored the agreement that was reached with the community. And, over and above the agreement amicably reached, it has made provision to assist indigent residents who are unable to afford enclosures.

It is most unfortunate that the ANCYL has chosen to by-pass the Subcouncil and ignore the agreements reached with the community and rush to the media and the Human Rights Commission without first seeking to resolve the issue through the relevant structures of Council.

While it is the ANCYL's right to do so, it does create the impression that they are more interested in scoring political points than helping to promote service delivery through the relevant community and civic structures.

This kind of political opportunism is unacceptable in a multi-party Council where we are mandated to work together in spite of political differences with the shared aim of ensuring improved service delivery.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

This crap will never end.

Yup - it will keep on and on.

Pity we can't use it to generate electricity

 

[Pilgrim]

I blame the DA for not foreseeing this, or at the very least for not building the toilets then covering them with some kind of "locking" enclosure that will be removed when the owner enclosed it with walls.

But thanks to scum like the ancyl the media only got to see the worst possible side of the story.

 

[killadoob]

Yea i must admit i fell for it and actually i say F those stupid people, take the toilets away and dig them some long drops.

Bloody ungrateful ANC lovers.

Nothing like rotting shyte in the morning to get your day off to a good start

 

[capetownguy]

toilets taxpayers pay for which are eventually vandalized.

 

[davemc]

Hey, if I'm starving there is nothing in the world that will stop me from ripping that toilet apart and selling it to whoever will give me some food.

 

[JustAsk]

A hungry child will eat 3 day old bread,that doesn't mean its ok if i give it to him.

Nice to see the true colours of the DA scum,didn't actually expect anything better from them.

 

[daveza]

Erm... how is this the scum DA's fault ?

The community were consulted, made their choice and the DA implemented their wishes.

Am I missing something?

 

[JustAsk]

OK,my wish is for the DA to provide me with some weed plants.I'll grow and harvest them myself.I assume with your logic they don't do anything wrong since its my wish,right?

They provided infrastructure that can(will) be used for indecent exposure...for starters.

 

[Mila]

Playing DA race over loos sad end to career

2010/01/28



The community of Khayelitsha agreed the budget that was available to build 300 toilets would be extended to erect just under 1 300 toilets.

The quid pro quo was that the community would build the shelters around the toilets. This arrangement was endorsed by the ANC ward councillor.
Under the previous ANC administration in Cape Town, a precedent had been set for this in Philippi. Some 96% of the recipients in Khayelitsha erected shelters around the toilets as agreed.


To brand the DA as racist because the community agreed to erect their own shelters so each family could have their own toilet, as opposed to five families sharing a toilet, which is the national ANC norm for these settlements, is ridiculous.

Sadly, the more the DA delivers in Cape Town and in the Western Cape, one can expect the race card to be played more and more.

A hungry child will eat 3 day old bread,that doesn't mean its ok if i give it to him.

Nice to see the true colours of the DA scum,didn't actually expect anything better from them.

Sarcasm.. or did the education department fail you too?:wtf:

 

[daveza]

Let's see if this is easier for you -

The city had initially planned to build 300 fully working and covered toilets for the Makhaza community in Khayelitsha, which is what the budget allowed for - one flush toilet for every five families.

This is in line with the national "norm" for the upgrading of unserviced shack settlements.

In discussing the project with the community, the project manager agreed to stretch the budget so that each family could have its own toilet. This could be achieved by allocating all of the project's sanitation funds to providing as many toilets as possible, while families agreed to construct their own enclosures.

This agreement was requested by the community and supported by the ANC councillor in the ward, Nomfefe Gexa. In other words, as a consequence of engaging with the local community, it actually became possible to build 1316 toilets - five times more than originally planned.

 

[Mila]

OK,my wish is for the DA to provide me with some weed plants.I'll grow and harvest them myself.I assume with your logic they don't do anything wrong since its my wish,right?

They provided infrastructure that can(will) be used for indecent exposure...for starters.

And can you imagine the stink these people would have made if the DA did not do as they have asked. Weed is illegal. They wanted to build the wall if they did not... they were indecently exposing themselves. They did have an agreement with the department. Now what do you say they had to do? Take money that was allocated to build toilets on another place and spend it here?
You can not please everyone. Here the DA and the ANC decided to go with the majority.

Why did the ANC not say no when it was put to them?

 

[Nod]

A hungry child will eat 3 day old bread,that doesn't mean its ok if i give it to him.

Nice to see the true colours of the DA scum,didn't actually expect anything better from them.

I eat 3+ day old bread

 

[R13...]

In other words, as a consequence of engaging with the local community, it actually became possible to build 1316 toilets - five times more than originally planned.

That sounds like Jesus feeding multitudes from a few loafs of bread & fish.

BS spin, they built 1316 INCOMPLETE structures/holes instead of 300 COMPLETE toilets.

 

[Jase]

I eat 3+ day old bread

I was just thinking the same thing ....

 

[TheHiveMind]

I eat 3+ day old bread

So do I =\

Undeserved delusions of grandeur. Any guess who they are learning that mindset from?

 

[daveza]

they built 1316 INCOMPLETE structures/holes instead of 300 COMPLETE toilets.

Exactly what the community asked them to do - and with which the ANC was in agreement.

 

[Toxin]

That sounds like Jesus feeding multitudes from a few loafs of bread & fish.

BS spin, they built 1316 INCOMPLETE structures/holes instead of 300 COMPLETE toilets.

/sarcasm

Yeah man that's horrible. I'd rather share my toilet with 4 other people rather than have my own.....

/end sarcasm

Given the CHOICE the people themselves decided that they would rather have their own loo then have to share. I mean come on, 96% of them put up their own walls.

 

[Pegging]

I eat 3+ day old bread

I'll see your 3 and raise you 3.
6 day old bread is great for French toast, meatballs and bread n butter pudding.