According to the 2017 Non-financial Census of Municipalities (MFCM) released by the Statistician-General, Risenga Maluleke, there is a growing number of bucket toilets in the Mangaung Metro Municipality 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 intervention.

While the report indicates that there has been a significant decrease of bucket toilets in the Northern Cape there are areas in which there has been no change. In the North West, an increase of over 300 households still making use of bucket toilets has been recorded in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality.

This report comes just weeks after the Auditor-General, Kimi Makwetu, lambasted municipalities in the Free State, Northern Cape and North West for their financial audit outcomes.

The Free State is currently the province with the highest Eskom debt and most defaulting municipalities. They owe Eskom more than R6.5 billion collectively, which is the highest amount owed by municipalities across the country.

OFM News