Blocked toilets piled up with human faeces and rooms with shattered windows and covered with graffiti. This may sound like a description of an abandoned building, but it is in fact the office of the Ward 10 councillor, Xolani Simakuhle.
Blocked toilets piled up with human faeces and rooms with shattered windows and covered with graffiti. This may sound like a description of an abandoned building, but it is in fact the office of the Ward 10 councillor, Xolani Simakuhle.
This municipal building, referred to as the old ambulance building and the previous Radio Grahamstown premises, is in Currie Street near the Middle Terrace clinic.
As you walk in, you see a large run down ambulance garage, next door to this, an ablution block with toilets and showers blocked with human faeces. The rooms near the ablution facilities have shattered windows and walls painted with graffiti. At a recent Ward 10 committee meeting, a large crowd of Ward 10 residents had to meet in the ambulance garage as the rooms were too small to accommodate them.
Simakuhle, who was chairing the meeting, apologised to the residents for the lack of toilet facilities. "It is more than three years that I have asked for toilets. This is just not environmentally safe," he said. He said he feels bad for the ward committee members, especially the women and seniors who have to use the space.
Ward committee member, Rachel Kirkwood said, "It's really in a bad shape. I have even heard that people even sleep there," she said.
Makana Municipality spokesperson, Thandy Matebese said engineers were recently sent to look into this situation and that the municipality will look into building new toilets. He explained that the building was inherited by the municipality and that they are looking into rehabilitating the vicinity including Lavender Valley through the Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant.
