De Lille oversees Cape Town toilet cleaning

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille oversaw the cleaning of container toilets in two informal settlements on Tuesday.

She said she accompanied a cleaning team to Barcelona and Kanana, two of the areas hardest hit by a strike by workers at the sanitation contractor Sannicare.

City staff who stepped in to help had recently been threatened in these areas, De Lille said.

"On my instruction, the team was joined by a substantial contingent of law enforcement officers in order to protect them from possible attacks," she said.

"This is an extraordinary measure taken under very difficult circumstances. It must be emphasised that the threats of violence previously posed against our staff are still real."

Last month, former Sannicare janitors responsible for cleaning communal toilets, blocked a part of the N2 highway with burning tyres and dumped faeces on the road.

They were protesting against being dismissed after demanding that they be paid the equivalent of a 16-hour work day. Sannicare rejected the demand and said it was against labour legislation.

Some residents of Barcelona and Kanana apparently removed some of the container toilets from the neighbouring informal settlement, Europe, to close down the highway.

The city subsequently got a court interdict against seven residents it believed were involved in a campaign to prevent service delivery.

De Lille said six city officials were attacked and a municipal vehicle and cleaning equipment were burned in Kanana at the end of April.

There had also been "numerous instances" where city staff were threatened or harassed.

"Metro police had to intervene last week when staff were followed by a vehicle from Barcelona to Borchard's Quarry, and the occupants threatened to shoot them. A staff member was followed to his house and threats were made," she said.

"In Kanana, staff were threatened with having their houses burned."

De Lille said the city would not be dissuaded by a violent minority and would continue to protect citizens' rights.

"However, we simply do not have enough law enforcement officers to protect each and every sanitation staff member, whom we have a duty to protect," she said.

"We need the assistance of all residents, local community leaders and organisations in these communities to ensure the uninterrupted provision of services in these areas."

A week ago, a group of people in Khayelitsha threw human waste at a bus and cars used to travel to a green economy event, hosted by Western Cape premier Helen Zille.

A day before that, two men dumped faeces on the steps of the Western Cape legislature in a protest about portable flush toilets (PFTs).

De Lille then called on the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to help the city educate residents in informal settlements about the benefits of PFTs.

The SAHRC responded on Friday that it would meet De Lille.

"The commission will also engage with national, provincial and local government, as well as the Public Protector and civil society organisations to intervene in this matter," spokesman Isaac Mangena said.

"The commission wishes to emphasise that the eradication of the bucket system must be looked at nationally, and not only at a provincial level."

Mangena said the SAHRC had a specific mandate.

"Having received complaints from communities arising from government service delivery choices, it would be inappropriate and contrary to its legal mandate to participate or endorse government programmes which are the subject of a complaint."