The IFP calls on the Government of KwaZulu-Natal to transform the constitutional rights to water and sanitation into a reality for many citizens of KwaZulu-Natal who do not enjoy these fundamental human rights.
Denmark township residents near Imbali in Pietermaritzburg are using pit toilets and when they are full, they flow like a raging river which puts the lives of the residents at risk of contaminating diseases such as diarrhoea.
Sanitation is a cornerstone of public health and should be a priority. This is the time to make our people to have access to sanitation. The rights to clean water and sanitation should not remain a dream for so many years. These rights as they are recognized in the South African Constitution must be real.
The matter of having toilets is crucial to creating a strong economy, improving health, protecting people’s safety and dignity.The IFP believes that the first step is acknowledging that we have a huge challenge that calls for rethinking of strategies, and to have champions of change both at the national, provincial and local levels. Without enough dedicated budgets for sanitation, water and infrastructure, the constitutionally recognized rights to water and sanitation will never materialize.
Many South Africans only have rights to safe water and sanitation on paper – now it’s time to make them a reality.Furthermore, most people in rural areas practise open defecation and the combination of these unsanitary practices spreads disease and contaminate wells and streams which people use for drinking.
The KZN provincial government sets aside increasingly larger amounts of money for water access and sanitation each year, but less than half of that money winds up being spent in that sector. We can avoid calamities such as cholera if people have access to clean and safe water.
The IFP demands that the KZN Premier, Sihle Zikalala and the KZN MEC of Human Settlements, Peggy Nkonyeni urgently address the sanitation challenges facing Denmark township residents and other communities in the province.
Contact:
Mrs Thokozile Gumede MPL,
IFP KZN Spokesperson on Human Settlements,
073 583 8585
