New department tasked with eradicating bucket toilets

The newly formed Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) will oversee the implementation of the Bucket Eradication Programme (BEP), the department confirmed in Parliament last week.

The BEP and other sanitation issues were previously handled by the Department of Human Settlements. The new department will incorporate the same sanitation mandate, with a renewed emphasis on replacing the country's bucket toilets with flush toilets.

The BEP serves as the department's plan of action in tackling the country's sanitation problem. According to the DWS, there are currently 272,995 bucket toilets spread out across all provinces, with the Free State accounting for 37 percent of all bucket toilets.

The prevalence of bucket toilets is nationwide, with the Free State having over 100,000 bucket toilets, and Limpopo being the only Province with fewer than 1,000 of them.

Despite the large number of bucket toilets still in use, the DWA stated that its goal is to change the status quo, setting itself achievable targets. In 2014/15, the department plans to replace a total of 47,325 (17%) bucket toilets with flush toilets, with 51,337 (19%) to be replaced in 2015/16. This amounts to R19,000 per toilet.

The new department would inherit the same challenges faced by the Department of Human Settlements, according to the acting CFO of the Department of Human Settlements, Nyameko Mbengo. He points to funding cuts for the BEP as contributing to the large number of toilets still prevalent, with the new department needing to ensure that enough money is allocated to meet their eradication targets.

The total BEP budget for 2014/15 amounts to R899,177,000, while the 2015/16 budget amounts to R975,399,000. This sees the department spending nearly R1.9 billion in two years on implementing flush toilets

Before the transition of departments, Mr Mbengo stated that provincial budgets will reflect the department's commitment to improving sanitation, with budget allocations for eradicating bucket toilets proportionate to the number of bucket toilets each province has.

"The Free State is the province with the greatest number of bucket toilets, therefore the Free State has received the biggest budget", notes Mr Mbengo.

However, MPs of the Select Committee on Social Services point to the need for a higher budget allocation for the BEP and better utilisation of these funds by the department implementing it.

These concerns were echoed in the DWS's presentation to Parliament last week. The department’s targets for the next two years are based on budget allocations for the eradication programme. However, there are concerns over the way the BEP is funded. The BEP budget is achieved by slicing 5% from the department's Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) from 2014 to 2016. The money is then allocated to each province to achieve their yearly eradication targets.

DWS acting Director-General, Mr Trevor Balzer, notes inefficiencies in the way the BEP will be funded under the new department. After the two year HSDG funding, the remaining money will then go back to Treasury, and will not be reinvested in the BEP.

Committee members argue that this fund will be under-utilised, as the BEP should receive stable and adequate funding to ensure proper implementation, with DA MP Zisiwe Balindlela adamant that money left over from the HSDG should be reinvested in the programme.

National Treasury officials acknowledged the problem, but pointed out that unspent grant allocations would be returned to Treasury, unless it could be shown that the funds would be committed to identifiable projects. Grant funds will only be returned to Treasury if municipalities cannot show that the funds are committed to identifiable projects..

The DWS will also see the transfer of staff to continue the administration of certain functions. Mr Balzer passed assurances that the BEP will not be delayed due to the transfer of personnel to the new department, promising a seamless process.

While the creation of a new department is aimed at addressing the sanitation problem more effectively, the question remains whether the BEP will be implemented successfully amid unstable funding sources and potential administrative delays.