Rights commission close to toilets finding

The SA Human Rights Commission was completing its findings on the Khayelitsha toilet controversy following a complaint by the ANC Youth League, SAHRC spokesman Vincent Moaga says

"We are almost finished," said Moaga, adding they did not want to rush into a "quick fix" solution.

On Wednesday night ongoing protests over the issue led to police firing rubber bullets at about 1000 people in the area, said spokeswoman Captain Anneke van der Vyver.

The group, which had placed cement pipes and other obstacles on Lansdowne road, had also tried to get onto the N2 highway but police had stopped them.

Eight people were due in court on Thursday for alleged public violence. Another 18 appeared in a Cape court on Wednesday on charges of being part of an illegal gathering.

They were released on warning and would return to court on July 16.

In 2007 the Democratic Alliance-led council began building a toilet for each household in the area, on condition residents enclosed the toilets themselves so the council would have money for more toilets.

Residents enclosed 1265 of the toilets, and 51 were left open with no privacy.

The council eventually erected corrugated iron walls around these toilets last Monday.

However, the ANCYL in the area demanded concrete walls and, last week, went about destroying some of the iron enclosures and threatened to make the city of Cape Town ungovernable.

The league had also written to Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale asking for intervention in a matter which DA leader Helen Zille said was part of an ANC campaign of violence and intimidation against the DA in the Western Cape.

"Our complaint is based on the reality that African people residing in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, are forced to sh*t in full view of the public," an extract of the letter read.

The city council responded by removing 65 unenclosed toilets.

Cape Town mayor Dan Plato said they would only be returned when the enclosures were built and when the community reached an agreement with the youth league.

Social Justice Coalition co-ordinator Gavin Silber said that during a visit to the area on Thursday morning they found that people were using the communal toilets but this was inadequate.

"It was wrong to remove toilets without providing an alternative. There are some communal toilets, but they also removed standpipes for the taps."