Is toilet promise just a lot of hot air?

THE article titled “R80m loo relief for the Bay” (February 25) has reference. Yet again, the ineptitude of our ANC-governed municipality in swanking about creating 4 062 flush toilets is a pipe dream.

First, the figures don’t add up. How will the ANC go about providing 4 062 flush loos by year-end when the figures quoted for the four phases (phase one 650 units, phase two 206 units, phase three 1 013 loos and phase four 1 023 toilets) to be built when these figures add up to only 2 892 units?

Furthermore as stated in the article, infrastructure and engineering executive director Walter Shaidi commits to building “it is not going to be less than 4 062 toilets installed this year”.

Second, for the ANC to brag about attending to the issue of eradicating bucket toilets as if it had had a sudden epiphany is disgraceful and insulting to our compatriots in Khayamnandi and other poor communities in the metro. This municipality has had 20 years to abolish the bucket system which it failed to do.

Let us get the facts correct. It is only thanks to the persistence of the DA councillors driving this issue of creating opportunity for betterment of service delivery that the ANC has been compelled to take late action in addressing this matter despite its utterances about opposition parties in the article.

Voters of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, take heed.

President Jacob Zuma lied to the people of this metro when he gave an election undertaking to supply R340-million towards rehabilitation of Nooitgedacht dam. As this undertaking has not been honoured by the government, how can we trust the veracity of our dysfunctional ANC-governed council when it says it will build 4 062 toilets when only just more than half that number are planned for construction this year?

-Dacre Haddon, DA vice-chairman, Ward 6, Nelson Mandela Metro