‘A drop in the ocean’: Opposition slams City’s taps, toilets figures
Cape Town says it exceeded its 2025/26 targets for installing taps and toilets in informal settlements, while opposition parties accuse the DA-led municipality of electioneering and say the figures do not reflect residents’ daily experience.
Opposition parties have criticized the City of Cape Town for using basic service installations in informal settlements to boost the popularity of the governing Democratic Alliance party ahead of the upcoming elections on November 4. On Monday, the City announced it had installed 815 new taps and 6,505 new toilets in over 100 informal settlements as part of its efforts to provide access to basic water and sanitation services where feasible.
The ambitious goal of installing 750 taps and 4,500 toilets by the same time was surpassed, with additional work undertaken in response to requests from new settlements and replacements for toilets nearing the end of their lifespan. The Informal Settlements and Basic Services branch now oversees 69,194 toilets and 10,101 taps across 848 informal settlements.
Over 20,375 households gained access to clean water, while more than 15,193 households benefited from improved sanitation services. Water and Sanitation Mayoral Committee Member Zahid Badroodien, along with Ward 74 councillor Roberto Quintas, visited Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay, where R1.8 million expanded access with 110 new flush toilets and 34 taps.
The City emphasized the importance of clean water and safe sanitation for the dignity and quality of life of residents, acknowledging the challenges in delivering and maintaining infrastructure in these communities. However, the Progressive Good Party secretary-general, Brett Herron, dismissed the statistics as electioneering and not worthy of praise.
Herron argued that 800 taps and 6,000 toilets are insufficient given the nearly 300,000 shacks in Cape Town's informal settlements, housing nearly a million people or more. The Public Protector recently accused the City of dishonesty regarding tap installations in SST-Marikana and Khayelitsha. ANC leader in City and ANC regional chairperson Ndithini Tyhido accused the City of using government work to profile the DA, stating that on-paper statistics do not reflect the lived realities faced by residents in informal settlements, particularly during the pandemic.
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