No toilets for Tonota councilors

Pini Bothoko | Tuesday August 25, 2015 16:31

 

When the meeting was supposed to continue with the District Development Committee (DDC) report presentation, Tonota-South East councillor Gaefele Sedombo pleaded with council to suspend proceedings of the day in order for the matter to be addressed.

He cautioned that there was nowhere for them to relieve themselves because the toilets are in bad condition.

Nominated councilor Jabulani Vuke, seconded the motion, noting that the council couldn’t continue with proceedings when they don’t have anywhere to relieve themselves.

Council chairperson Anderson Moalosi agreed to adjourn the council proceedings to today. 

The councillors told Mmegi that for a long period of time they have complained about the poor condition of the toilets but council authorities have done nothing to rectify the situation.

 

Sedombo said that it’s four months since their toilets have been in bad condition and it looks like the council does not have plans of resolving the matter in the near future.

 

“The toilets are blocked. When we push water explodes to cover the whole basin. There is also no toilet paper. The situation has been like this for months now,” he said.

Another councilor Christopher Machokoto of Tonota Central said their complaints are taken lightly.

“We have been complaining about the toilets situation for a while now and it seems like no one takes us seriously. The toilets are in bad condition and are always locked. When we want to go to the toilets we have to look for the person holding the keys at the council reception and this has been a tedious exercise to say the least,” he said.

 

Chadibe village councillor Godfrey Legau said that it’s not like the council proceedings were adjourned for no reasons as the situation indeed required immediate attention.

 

“Imagine what will happen when someone has a running stomach and had to use the toilet immediately, and the person holding the keys is nowhere to be found,” he said.

 

Council chairperson Moalosi however said that he was not aware of the toilets condition saying he used one in the morning and it was working properly.

 

“I am not aware of the toilets condition but cannot dismiss councilors’ complaints as they might be true. I have instructed the council secretary to attend to councillors’ complaints with immediate effect,” he said. 

Tonota senior council secretary Terrance Ntalabgwe however dismissed the councilors’ complaints as untrue, saying the toilets were kept locked to prevent members of the public from using them and leaving them untidy.

He also said that he has never received any formal complaints from the councilors.