{
  "id": 19314085,
  "title": "Durban commuters have to relieve themselves in buckets in a tent",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/durban-commuters-have-to-relieve-themselves-in-buckets-in-a-tent",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-10T09:45:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GroundUp",
    "slug": "groundup",
    "url": "https://groundup.org.za/article/durban-commuters-have-to-relieve-themselves-in-buckets-in-a-tent/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Durban, commuters are forced to relieve themselves in buckets located in a tent, due to toilets at bus and taxi ranks remaining closed for renovations. GroundUp reported in January that these toilets, part of an R11.3-million upgrade, had been closed for seven months despite the municipality stating work would be finished by the end of January. The upgrade included four mobile toilets for the taxi rank, two for men and two for women, but they proved insufficient. A private individual, Bongani Ndaba, set up a tent with a bucket system about 500 meters away, charging users R2 to R3 per use. The tent is still operational, with people taking turns to use the buckets, which are emptied into the street drain. However, some individuals, like street vendor Gugu Ncamu, prefer to walk to the toilets at Workshop shopping center due to long queues at the tent. Additionally, elderly taxi drivers express concern for their less mobile passengers. The municipality spokesperson, Senzelwe Mzila, confirmed that renovations are complete but reopening of the toilets is pending the appointment of maintenance contractors, expected before mid-December. Mzila also mentioned that the municipality is finalizing administrative processes related to the completed project.",
  "summary": "Many public toilets have been closed for nearly 18 months",
  "key_points": [
    "Commuters forced to use buckets in tent due to closed toilets",
    "R11.3-million upgrade toilets closed for seven months",
    "Bongani Ndaba's bucket system charges R2 to R3 per use"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Protracted administrative delays following infrastructure upgrades force commuters to rely on inadequate, privately managed sanitation systems that lack proper hygiene and accessibility for the most vulnerable travelers.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}