Durban’s ongoing sanitation crisis

In Durban’s informal settlements, access to proper sanitation remains a severe issue. Many residents are left with no choice but to squat in bushes or endure long, dangerous walks to the nearest toilet, often at risk of assault. Some community members have reported being sexually attacked on their way to use the facilities, particularly in areas where toilets are located far from where they live.

Abahlali baseMjondolo, a social movement representing the rights of informal settlement residents, has spoken out about these ongoing challenges. Thapelo Mohapi, a representative from the movement, argues that while the municipality’s efforts to improve sanitation are commendable, they are insufficient in addressing the scale of the problem. According to Mohapi, the core issue lies not in the type of toilets being installed but in the municipality's failure to repair and maintain existing facilities, as well as a lack of trained staff to ensure these services function properly.

“They hire people with little to no expertise," said Mohapi.  "I visited one of the settlements where they had a broken toilet, and the person sent to fix it didn’t even have the right tools. This leads to poor maintenance and eventually, facilities that are not usable," he said.

Mohapi further asserts that the newly piloted environmentally-friendly toilets are unlikely to make a significant impact on the sanitation crisis in informal settlements. Many of these settlements, particularly in the heart of the city, face severe congestion, and the problem is worsened by a lack of resources. In some areas, there are just six toilets for 200 households, and in others, eight toilets for 3,000 residents. This dire shortage leads to continued reliance on makeshift solutions like mobile toilets or even "flying toilets" — plastic bags filled with human waste that are thrown away in desperation.

“People are still using bushes, and some use buckets to store waste and keep it in their homes until they can dispose of it late at night,” Mohapi said. “It’s a situation that strips away human dignity. It’s not acceptable in a country with a democratic constitution.”

However, the municipality is actively working to address these challenges. Last week, it launched a pilot project introducing Non-Sewered Sanitation (NSS) technology at the Pholani Informal Settlement in La Mercy. This innovative system, also known as reinvented toilets, form part of a larger initiative supported by the Water Research Commission and funded by the Department of Science and Innovation and the Gates Foundation, aims to tackle the issue of sanitation in areas not connected to the sewer reticulation network.

The NSS technology operates with a self-contained system that recycles water for toilet flushing, reducing dependence on the strained potable water supply. Nedon Ramsarun, the Operations Manager for Sanitation at eThekwini Municipality, explained that the system has been in operation since December with no significant issues. “It’s been functioning well in Pholani, even with an influx of visitors during the holiday period,” Ramsarun said. “This is a technology that could help address the sanitation crisis without the need for extensive infrastructure.” The municipality hopes that the NSS system, which is modular and scalable, can withstand the challenges posed by climate change. Extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall and droughts, often disrupt traditional sewage systems, leaving communities vulnerable to sanitation issues. This system aims to provide a more resilient solution that can adapt to these changing conditions.  “With South Africa forecasting a significant water deficit by 2030, we must embrace initiatives like this to mitigate future crises,” said Ramsarun. He said there were three different types of these “reinvented toilet systems” which the Municipality had piloted and once their ongoing research was completed they would start a tender process.  

Despite the promising technology, Mohapi remains skeptical. He points out that while the new toilets may work in less congested areas, the real test will come when they are scaled up to serve larger, more densely populated settlements. “In some of our communities, there simply isn’t enough space to implement this kind of system effectively,” he said. 

According to Ednah Mamakoe, a Technical Officer at the Water Research Commission, informal settlements face unique challenges that conventional approaches struggle to address. These include irregular settlement patterns, the inability to connect to existing sewer networks, and the lack of social cohesion in some communities.

“The result is often open defecation, contaminated water sources, and the spread of waterborne diseases,” said Mamakoe. “However, emerging technologies like NSS offer scalable alternatives that could help address these issues, provided there is a coordinated effort to make them work.”