Aus/Windhoek
The //Karas Regional Council has availed more than N$7 million to Aus settlement to get rid of the apartheid bucket toilet system by building more toilets, among other developmental activities, the Nami#nus Constituency Councillor, Jan Scholtz, has confirmed.
Speaking to New Era yesterday, Scholtz revealed an additional 18 toilets will be handed over to the community of the tiny settlement at a yet to be announced date.
About 200 angry Aus residents on Monday staged a peaceful demonstration to the settlement office to denounce the usage of the bucket toilet system at the settlement, and they even said Aus benefitted more from the colonial apartheid-era regime.
The residents, who bemoaned the lack of development at the settlement that is home to about 1 500 people, made it clear during the demonstration, by kicking a bucket, that they have had enough of the bucket toilet system and that the time for action is now.
Yesterday, however, the handover of 18 toilets to the community of Aus was postponed due to logistical arrangements, noted Scholtz.
Scholtz said the handover of the toilets is a move towards getting rid of the bucket toilet system designed by apartheid architects.
The Aus Community Concerned Group coordinator, Owen Vlees, who read the petition on behalf of the demonstrating residents, said the handover of the 18 toilets that was supposed to take place yesterday is a political move by some politicians trying to score points in order to be re-elected or elected into certain positions.
“Obviously when the toilets will be handed over it will be given a colourful picture that the buckets are completely out of the system, which is not the case,” Vlees lamented.
But Scholtz rubbished the allegations as hogwash, saying “we are not playing with people’s lives. There is no need to campaign. We will serve the people and they will decide if they want to re-elect us.”
Furthermore, the vocal councillor said: “We are moving, slowly maybe, as long as we are not standing still.”
Furthermore, Vlees during the reading of the petition remarked that the living conditions of people at Aus were better off during the apartheid era – that saw separate development for blacks and whites.
“I think they are making a big mistake (that the apartheid era was better). Before independence there was the bucket system and today they are sitting with toilets, and they have open access to the regional councillor where they can make their demands known,” said Scholtz.