The City of Cape Town has been forced to suspend cleaning services for approximately 300 container toilets in the Kraaifontein and Wallacedene informal settlements due to extortion threats made against its service provider, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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These essential services, which were halted on Monday, 11 November, have caused significant concerns regarding health and sanitation in the affected areas.
The areas impacted by this disruption include Kraaifontein’s Area 19, Covid 19, Social Distance, and Tygerberg Race Course settlements, as well as Simanga-Bloekombos and Marikana in Wallacedene. The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has strongly condemned these criminal acts, noting that they severely compromise the sanitation and well-being of residents who rely on the container toilets for hygiene.
The threats are part of an ongoing pattern of extortion that has plagued Cape Town’s service delivery efforts. Between April 2023 and November 2024, there have been 14 extortion incidents that have disrupted services in 23 informal settlements, affecting the maintenance and cleanliness of 2000 container toilets and 230 chemical toilets. These incidents have highlighted the increasing challenges faced by the City in providing basic services to vulnerable communities.
To address the issue, multiple City departments are working together to find lasting solutions to prevent further service disruptions and ensure the safety of service providers. The City has assured residents that efforts are being made to resume cleaning services as soon as it is safe to do so.
While the situation remains challenging, authorities are committed to restoring sanitation services and are taking steps to ensure the ongoing safety of workers involved in the cleaning operations. The City is also exploring measures to tackle the root causes of extortion in order to safeguard essential services for all residents, particularly those in informal settlements.
‘The City condemns extortion because it directly impacts the dignity of our residents by jeopardising our efforts to deliver basic sanitation services through collection and cleaning of toilets in informal settlements,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien.
‘Arrangements have been made to support service providers with security or law enforcement protection to enable continuity of the essential service.’
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Picture: City of Cape Town
