SA bucket toilet challenge rising: Statistician General

02 September 2014 - 16:51 By Sapa
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The number of households using the bucket toilet system is on the increase, Statistician General Pali Lehohla said on Tuesday.

"We had 73,413 still using the bucket system. That has increased to 99,102," Lehohla said at the release of the 2013 non-financial census of municipalities in Pretoria.

"Those are the households using the bucket system and we have their predominance in the Free State, Eastern Cape, and the Northern Cape."

The census examines the provision of basic and free services, including water and sanitation. It looks at income, employment and indigent households in municipalities.

Indigent households, including child-headed families, are registered with municipalities and qualify for rebates/remissions. These households also receive support or service subsidies.

Lehohla said there were 3.4 million indigent households across South Africa.

In the 2013 survey, KwaZulu-Natal topped the list of indigent households with 826,566. The Northern Cape had the least, with 74,239 registered indigent families.

Lehohla said due to several interventions, including services to the poor, between 2006 to 2011 the poverty line dropped from 57 per 100 people to 46.

The survey found that overall basic services provision by municipalities was gradually improving. The number of households receiving basic water supply rose by 3.3 percent while the number getting electricity improved by 2.3 percent.

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