In this town, old women have to relieve themselves in a field

In Aloe-T, an informal settlement in Komani, Eastern Cape, elderly women are forced to relieve themselves in an open field during daylight hours. Aloe-T, established in 1997, was initially created to make way for an RDP housing project, yet residents claim they were not included on the beneficiary list. Pit toilets were installed years ago, but due to lack of maintenance, they have become unusable.

Some families have constructed makeshift pit toilets in their yards, while others resort to using buckets or open fields. The settlement currently has more than 300 shacks and only one standpipe, which residents have connected illegally. Community leader Bulelani Qowa stated that residents have been enduring these conditions because the municipality has failed to address the broken toilets.

Nontembiso Mnyaka, who has resided in Aloe-T since 1997, recounted how her late husband was initially denied an RDP house, as officials refused to accept her ID despite explaining their marital status. She now lives in a two-room shack with four grandchildren, relying on a neighbor's toilet during the day and using a bucket and the open field at night.

Another resident, Mantombise Faku, expressed feelings of neglect by the government, as promises to repair the toilets have gone unfulfilled. In a neighboring settlement, Kwanca, flushing toilets are available, but many are blocked, causing sewage to seep into homes. Residents have complained to the municipality, yet the issue persists, with some residents abandoning the toilets altogether.