Nearly a hundred VIP toilets were handed over to community members in Matshena Village at Mutale Municipality under Vhembe District Municipality during an event held at Matshena last Friday.

Matshena Village, a remote rural village in the Mutale area, was identified as host for the sanitation week celebration for the Vhembe District Municipality. The purpose of the event was the official handing over of toilet units to the beneficiaries as well as health and hygiene awareness. The event kicked off with a clean-up campaign, led by the executive mayor of the Vhembe District Municipality, Cllr Falaza Mdaka, and the mayor of the Mutale Municipality, Cllr Lucas Manyuha.

Mdaka indicated that his municipality as the water service authority had the responsibility of providing sanitation services to the communities. He said the municipality was facing a huge challenge in addressing the backlog of approximately 143 519 households without sanitation facilities.

Presently, household sanitation is provided to indigent people. In 2003/4, the Department of Water Affairs transferred R3, 343 million for sanitation and 1 201 units were completed in three local municipalities in the same financial year.

Vhembe District Municipality made an amount of R1,5 million available and 660 units were completed in the 2003/4 financial year. In the 2004/5 financial year, an amount of R8, 732million and R2,5 million respectively was made available and 3 643 units were completed. A budget of R12,4 million was set aside for the 2005/6 financial year to build 3 204 units which have been completed and 200 units are currently under construction. "We also budgeted R12,6 million in the 2006/7 financial year and 3 130 units were completed. In the 2007/8 financial year, R26 million was budgeted for sanitation projects and 1 500 units were completed, while 4 600 units are in the process of implementation," he said.

He said the 93 VIP toilets which were officially handed to their owners at Matshena village during 2007/8 financial left the village with a backlog of 70 households, which will be implemented in the 2008/9 financial year. At the same time, 12 formerly unemployed people were trained and gained employment during the project implementation at Matshena. "Addressing these backlogs is one of our priorities and we must continue to give hope to our people so that they do not engage in destructive behavior," added Mdaka.

"With 2008 having been declared the International Year of Sanitation by the United Nations, we have taken a different focus during this year’s sanitation week by holding this forum to look at our own commitments in the provision of sanitation to our people," said Mdaka.

Out of 93 VIP units, two were constructed in a special way which can accommodate disabled people using wheelchairs.

One of the beneficiaries of the VIP toilets, Ms Mbavhalelo Munyai, thanked the district municipality for building her a toilet which she can access easily with a wheelchair. "Going to the toilet was a mammoth task, but with the new toilet, life will change for the better. I feel very happy; now I can utilize the toilet by myself," added Munyai.