GEORGE NEWS - In Zone 6, Thembalethu, stand-alone toilets have been the lone occupants of 99 serviced sites for over a year. The toilets were built by the George Municipality in Area 8C as part of the Thembalethu Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (UISP). The sites were completed in February last year.

At the time the municipal director of Human Settlements, Charles Lubbe, said beneficiaries from Area 3, Area 8A and 8B, as well as beneficiaries from Ward 9, have been identified to relocate to the area and the relocation process would start "within the next few weeks". However, to date no relocation has taken place.

The amount allocated for the toilets and trough component was R8 000 of the total subsidy amount for each serviced stand and houses will be constructed only once subsidy applications are approved for qualifying beneficiaries.

It was said that in the interim, beneficiary households would move to the serviced stands and erect informal structures on the stands.

While the site has been standing empty, the toilets have been vandalised.

In the meantime, with no one living there, vandals have been ripping the toilets apart and the community has been asking when the relocation will take place.

Last year Lubbe said that the relocation process had been delayed due to changes in the allocations of the beneficiaries programme. "This left the facilities vulnerable to vandalism. Security will be arranged to guard the toilets until people start moving onto the land," he said.

However, it seems that nothing has changed, as vandals continued to rip the toilets apart.

George Herald again asked Lubbe last week when the relocation is due and what has been the cause of the delay. He said the relocation of beneficiaries to Area 8C was stopped on two previous occasions. During the delay the toilets have been vandalised and additional funding is now required to repair the damaged infrastructure and to relocate the beneficiaries.

"An application for additional funding was submitted by the George Municipality to the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements. The relocation of beneficiaries can again be planned once the additional funding is approved. The repair of the infrastructure will only commence after the beneficiaries have been relocated onto their allocated sites."

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