IN PHOTOS | No room left to dig: Inside Stinkwater’s pit toilet crisis

Nearly 60 years after the establishment of Stinkwater, near Hammanskraal north of Pretoria, residents continue to grapple with severe sanitation issues. Despite Health-e News reporting on the crisis a year ago, conditions have reportedly worsened. As the original pit toilets fill up and groundwater floods newly dug ones, families now face an unprecedented shortage of space.

The Human Rights Commission of South Africa declared the underground water in Stinkwater unfit for human consumption in 2019, citing waterlogging, poor drainage and overflowing sewage spills.

Thomas Mahlangu, a resident who has dug across most of his yard for pit toilets, says they are running out of space. One toilet is already close to collapsing, and he fears the next one will follow suit in just a week. Ward 95 councillor Willy Kgopa has raised this issue through the City of Tshwane’s Integrated Development Plan programme but notes the lack of space for pit holes remains a persistent challenge.

Residents like 80-year-old Nokuthula express fear and caution while using the pit toilets, stating that they must step carefully and worry about the structure's stability. Children are not allowed to use the pit toilets for fear of falling inside. Johannes Sekano uses an empty paint container as a makeshift toilet at night due to the dark and hazardous conditions around his pit toilet.

Despite the desperation, Mahlangu laments the lack of proper flushing toilets and implores for assistance, symbolizing the ongoing struggle faced by the community in Stinkwater.