The City of Tshwane Municipality has acknowledged delay in properly fixing toilets at Dr Savage Taxi Rank in Tshwane.
The issue of the non-working toilets and general bad state of ablution facilities at the taxi rank were reported to the municipality as far back as 2021, and all that the municipality has ever done in this regard was to embark on haphazard measures which didn’t resolve the problem permanently.
“Since the issue was raised, the City of Tshwane has been maintaining/repairing the ablution facilities as and when required as part of its maintenance programme,” read a statement from the municipality.
“An assessment was also conducted, and a decision was taken to carry out overall repairs of the ablution facilities during the 2024/2025 financial year,” read the statement further.
“Assessments/ Inspections have been conducted and necessary upgrades and maintenance work have been scheduled to ensure that the facilities meet the required standards,” said the City of Tshwane.
The City says it understands the importance of maintaining these facilities for the well-being of the residents of Tshwane and taxi commuters.
According to the aforesaid statement, the City is currently following internal supply chain processes to procure a service provider and in the meantime, it has opted to lease or rent mobile chemical toilets to alleviate the current problem and to comply with Occupational Health Standards (OHS) requirements.
“The City remains committed to improving service delivery and providing a safe, clean and dignified environment for all and we appreciate the public’s patience in having to deal with non-working ablution facilities, but we would like to make an assurance that the restoration of these facilities is a priority in our current infrastructure improvement programmes,” said the City of Tshwane.
Twelve mobile chemical toilets were delivered at the taxi rank on 26 November this year and the City says the delay in providing these toilets was caused by factors like budget constraints and procurement challenges.
“All internal supply chain processes had to be followed before the toilets could be delivered and the process took longer than anticipated,” said the City of Tshwane.
The City of Tshwane also announced that it recognises the urgency of renovating the Dr Savage Taxi Rank as it is a vital infrastructure and that the planning and procurement processes were in the final stages in this regard.
The renovation process will unfold in three phases according to the City of Tshwane.
The first phase involves rebuilding ablution facilities and is currently underway.
The second phase will entail paving the area and will be confirmed once there is an agreement on the budget in this regard.
The third and final phase will entail fixing and renovating the shelters /canopies.