Sanitation

In March 2025, we asked 5,308 residents across 202 informal settlements in 8 municipalities what type of toilet they use. Only 10% of residents have flush toilets, the remainder use self-dug pit toilets, chemical toilets, Ventilated Improved Pit toilets, porta pottis or bucket toilets.

This detailed brief looks at the availability of communal water and sanitation services across 6 informal settlements in Mangaung and asks residents what their interim sanitation needs are.

Asivikelane mapped broken communal flush toilets, taps and standpipes across 10 informal settlements to determine the extent of damaged infrastructure. We share this information with the metro to help improve access to water and sanitation and make recommendations for fault reporting mechanisms.

Ventilated Improved Pit toilets are a critical intervention to ensure that residents in informal settlements have access to dignified and safe sanitation. Asivikelane recommends which policies are needed to provide for the lifespan of these toilets, how to repair and maintain them and when and how they should be decommissioned.