SEDIBENG – During apartheid, the residents of Evaton in Gauteng were at the forefront of the struggle against apartheid. They had hope that one day their lives would improve. But, 30 years into democracy, this hope has died. And, as Zandile Khumalo explains, people are drowning in sewage.

It was a place officially established in 1904 although for decades before that it was a home to Nguni, BaSotho and BaTswana.

During the mid-1980s, the area was the site of violent unrest that culminated in a state of emergency being declared.

When democracy finally won in 1994, those who called Evaton home looked forward to a better life.

A decade later, it seemed that this would be realized when the Evaton Renewal Project (ERP) was launched. It was one of eight urban renewal projects across the country, four of which were in Gauteng.

At least R3.6 billion was set aside for ERP. The promise was improved roads, sanitation and housing as well as creating the right environment for the local economy to grow.

Thirty years later, not much has changed in the area, which is about 60 km outside Johannesburg.

Broken promise of R3.6 billion

According to the 2016 Auditor General’s report findings, only R708 million of the funds were allocated to the project in 2014 to 2015.

The AG found that poor planning, delays and a lack of accountability resulted in “small” and “less impactful” projects.

In addition, the project had no deadlines and as a result plans were often postponed.

Today, 30 years after democracy, families continue with outdated sanitary systems such as pit toilets.

A community created to feel less than human

For one resident, Sfiso Nhlapho, looking for corrugated iron has become something of a family tradition. Years ago, his father did it to seal human feces in their pit toilet. Today he does the same.

He said it can take up to a week to build a new toilet because a hole has to be dug deep into the ground. So far, he has dug more than three holes in the yard. Now, as the years have passed, he is running out of space.

There is also a cost factor. Over time, the materials used erode and new ones must be purchased.

Another resident, Mzaki Shabalala, said they must be careful when closing old pit latrines. Corrugated sheets must be used to prevent accidents, especially with children.

Maria Molakeng, 56, said she remembers how a child fell into a pit toilet and had to be fished out.

“We cannot live freely, we are always on guard.”

She said that while the apartheid government treated them as subhuman, little had changed with the democratic dispensation.

Molakeng said many pensioners were unable to go to the toilets outside their homes and had started relieving themselves in buckets. These then had to be emptied the next morning.

She added that residents were now careful about who they allowed to use their toilets because once it was full, there was no room to dig a new hole.

For residents like wheelchair-bound Elizabeth Mlangeni, the challenges are even greater.

She has to depend on her children to help her to the pit toilet. For her, getting to a pit toilet and using it is an experience that is both difficult and undignified.

Kingsol Chabalala, a Democratic Alliance member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, said the issues around sanitation were like diarrhea that refused to go away.

He said over time more than 50 contractors were assigned to eradicate pit latrines, but the job was never done and those paid were never held accountable.

The government admits failure

Tasneem Motara, Gauteng’s MEC for Human Settlements, acknowledged the delays and blamed poor planning and coordination. She said different government departments needed to share the blame for everything that had gone wrong.

According to Motara, work only started 13 years after the project was announced with a budget of R60 million.

The plan was to start by building communal washing facilities, but after five percent of the work, construction was stopped due to violence and vandalism.

“Out of the budget we only spent R9 million. What we didn’t spend was redirected to other projects we could do or if we couldn’t spend it all, we had to hand it over to the Treasury. Since then we have made another 30 plug-in toilets and only connected ten to the water and we’ve come a long way,” she said.

Motara said as of November this year, work had commenced on three wards in Evaton – 41, 42 and Ward 44.

She said R24.4 million had been allocated for Ward 41, and that more money would be allocated to the other two Wards depending on the scope of the work.

The residents of Evaton are skeptical. They have waited too long and been disappointed too often. To them, hope is as dead as the human waste they do their best to hide.

By Zandile Khumalo

Video by Omesh Naidoo