Residents raise alarm as people relieve themselves everywhere

The streets of Komani are reeking of urine and faeces, with residents and hawkers complaining about the lack of public toilets in the central business district.

Vendors are forced to clean up after people who relieve themselves in and around their stalls, with one hawker saying they often find faeces in their area.

Resident Amanda Zenzile said the smell is overwhelming, especially around the Town Hall and Post Office.

“People are using the dilapidated buildings as toilets during the day and nothing’s being done,” she said.

Zenzile added that there are no working public toilets on the main road, forcing people to pay R2-R5 to use the limited facilities available or go elsewhere.

“People from as far as Steynsburg, Burgersfort, Cala, Ngcobo to do their shopping in Komani. They struggle to find toilets and when nature calls they have to relieve themselves,” she said.

She said the town is always busy as it has lots of rural areas and small towns around which come to it for shopping.

“All that is needed is public toilets, so that the town can go back to its former glory of being the cleanest town,” she Zenzile said.

Unathi Ntwanambi said some people are even using the Komani river as a toilet, with taxi drivers and others relieving themselves in the water or in other hidden spots around town.

“The town needs public toilets, it’s stinking,” he said.

He said municipal workers also relieve themselves in these spaces as there are no toilets.

“This affects everyone and the town is slowly deteriorating. People should be arrested when they urinate in open spaces in town. That is wrong,” he said.

Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa said there are public offices at the two taxi ranks in town.

“There is one at the Ndlovukazi ranks and another at the Intermodal rank.

“There were public toilets at the Town Hall building, but unfortunately the structure was burnt down,” he said.