The EFF in the Northern Cape has slammed the ANC for its alleged failure to address longstanding sanitation issues in the province.
This after Northern Cape premier Zamani Saul put up a post on X (formerly Twitter) celebrating the announcement of an upcoming sanitation project.
In the post, Saul announced that 540 flushing toilets would be constructed in Campbell at a cost of R120-million to eradicate bucket and pit toilets.
However, his post was met with skepticism and allegations of political manipulation.
In a statement on Friday, the EFF accused the ANC government of neglecting sanitation issues.
It pointed to a 2012 audit report that revealed widespread use of bucket toilets in many townships across the province but claimed the ANC’s response had consistently fallen short.
“The March 2023 progress report from the Department of Water and Sanitation exposed the ANC’s failure to complete projects initiated years ago, leaving 596 bucket toilets in Campbell unaddressed,” the EFF said.
“Furthermore, the appointment of a contractor for a project in Campbell was still pending when the progress report on bucket eradication was released in March 2023.”
Downplaying number of toilets
According to the EFF the project, initiated in 2012, had faced mismanagement and a failure to use allocated funds appropriately.
It accused Saul of deliberately downplaying the number of toilets involved in the project, emphasising 540 toilets instead of the actual 596 in an attempt to dissociate the current project from the previously failed endeavor.
“The ANC’s pattern of showcasing projects before elections and neglecting them afterward, allowing corruption and looting to prevail, is evident in this instance.
“Saul’s recent boasting is not surprising, it aligns with the party’s tendency to deceive the people as elections approach,” the EFF added.
In response to criticisms, Saul defended the budget of the project, stating: “Eradicating buckets is not just replacing a bucket with a flushing unit, it entails building supporting water and sewer bulk infrastructure.
“Campbell is rural with no such infrastructure, so 80% of the costs go to treatment works [R34-million], new boreholes [R41-million], and water network [R39-million].”
