MAHIKENG MAIL - MAHIKENG: Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo visited Setlagole Village on Monday, urging immediate fixing of overflowing pit latrines and the decade‑old, unfinished bulk water supply scheme.
Joined by Ngaka Modiri District Executive Mayor, Khumalo Molefe and Ratlou Local Municipality’s MMC for Infrastructure, Thabo Motlapele, the delegation met local stakeholders as part of the national Sanitation Month campaign, which runs from Global Handwashing Day (15 October) to World Toilet Day (19 November).
The goal is to break the stigma around poor sanitation and highlight the health and environmental risks posed by makeshift toilets and defecation in the open.
Seitlholo warned that many households in Setlagole’s RDP section had pit latrines that had not been emptied since the houses were built in 2015, creating a serious health hazard for residents and livestock.
He ordered an urgent audit of functional and non‑functional toilets to guide a targeted intervention and called for the rollout of a faecal‑sludge management system that complies with the Water and Sanitation Act 108 of 1997 and the 2023 policy on privately owned land.
In the North West, only 72.7 % of households have basic sanitation, with 51 % still relying on onsite systems that require proper sludge handling for potential reuse as manure, fertiliser or biogas.
Turning to water supply, Seitlholo urged Magalies Water to speed up the Setlagole Bulk Water Supply Scheme, a 2.4‑megalitre‑per‑day project meant to serve the village and surrounding areas. Molefe welcomed the department’s support, saying it aligns with resolutions from the recent Water and Sanitation Indaba and could finally resolve the district’s chronic water shortages.
Molefe acknowledged the challenge of full pit latrines in Setlagole RDP section, attributing it to a lack of municipal maintenance since the toilets were built ten years ago. “There was indeed a vacuum in services for the toilets once they were full. With the intervention of the Department of Water and Sanitation, I have issued a directive to have experts that will provide support to Ratlou Local Municipality to provide services to address this challenge,” the Executive Mayor said.
