RESIDENTS of Torwood suburb in Redcliff are sitting on a health time bomb as 543 households are relieving themselves in nearby bushes because toilets built for them a year ago are still not functional.
Report by Blessing Mhlanga
The toilets have not been connected to the main sewer pipes because the local authority does not have the money to complete the project.
The residents said they were using bushes along the catchment area of Kwekwe River from where they fetch drinking water.
Former councillor Joel Gundani said the toilets were built at a cost of $400 000 borrowed from Treasury.
“We have an unwritten rule that ladies use the south side of the bush while men use the north side to avoid bumping into each other naked,” said Gundani.
Mayor Joseph Matewa said his council had run out of money to complete the project and was now waiting for another $500 000 to connect the toilets to the main sewer system.
Torwood has about 500 households and 37 communal toilets, only three of which are functional. The rest are perpetually blocked.
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Jane Phiria, a resident in Section H in Torwood, said although her house had its own in-built toilet, her family could not use it as it had no running water.
“We have a toilet, but council has failed to connect these houses to the main water supply system and, therefore, if we use the toilet we have to flush using buckets of water which is fetched some 3km from here,” she said.
