Indefensible indignity

A choice between two terrible options is not really a choice for many people. When those terrible options pose a danger to your life and your dignity they can make even the most proud buckle with the weight of the decision. What am I talking about? Many of you will know that earlier this year the people of Khayelitsha finally received the toilets that they had been asking for for many years, yet it was not the relief that they had long been expecting. In the Makhaza section of the township, the toilets were built without walls leaving residents with a choice between two terrible options — they could continue to walk the dangerous distances at night to toilets that would protect their right to dignity, or they could use the toilets nearby that could protect their right to live. Either way, they have not been provided with something that could, in any way, constitute a safe, hygienic and healthy place to use the toilet.

At a gathering on Saturday organised by the Social Justice Coalition we heard stories from four women. The first was an elderly lady who had chosen dignity over proximity and had been stabbed in the chest on the way to use the toilet at night because she had not carried any money or a cellphone with her. She woke up in hospital. The second was from a middle-age woman who was on the way to the toilet and when she returned a man was in her home. He asked for her money, threatened to rape her and to kill her child. The third was a very young girl who had tried to go to the toilet in the night and had been hit by a car as she was crossing the road. Finally we heard from a woman who had three children, all of whom had diarrhoea weekly. Diarrhoea we learned was the leading cause of death for children under five in Khayelitsha.

There are quarrels over where the responsibility lies and like much of what can only politely be called government shortcomings the name-calling is between the ANC and the DA. The ANC criticised the DA as irresponsible, labelling the building of these toilets as reminiscent of the apartheid area and chastising them for ignoring the residents’ dignity. The Cape Town mayor argued that these toilets had been built in this way in agreement with the residents who had agreed to build their own enclosures. To me this seems ludicrous. Many of the people living in Makhaza struggle to make ends meet. How could they afford to build their own enclosures for their toilets? How could they be tasked with building anything when the state cannot build adequate housing for them?

Rather than placing blame, here is an opening for the reader who is tired of all the sad stories without solutions. If you have a building company and are looking to offset some taxes, or if you have a building company and have a conscience, why not get in touch with the Makhaza municipality, the Social Justice Coalition or simply go there and see for yourself what you can do. This is truly where collective action can make a difference. Donate your time, donate some bricks, donate some skills and put an end to this dangerous, indefensible indignity.