9 September 2020
These badly vandalised public toilets near Jeffreys Bay’s frequently visited blue flag-status Dolphin beach. The municipality says it plans to fence off the facilities to fix them ahead of the festive season. Photo: Joseph Chirume
Residents of Jeffreys Bay are demanding that the municipality clean up badly vandalised public toilets near the town’s frequently visited blue flag-status beachfront.
“I am afraid that the state of these ablutions will give a bad image to our town. The toilets are very dirty. People are urinating and defecating outside the building. There is a heavy stench of human excrement all over. I have not seen municipal workers cleaning the facility for [months],” said Jansen Blouw, who owns an informal trading stall nearby.
When we visited the toilets on the corner of Salamander and St Francis streets, a group of young men were gambling inside the female toilet. Faeces, urine and rubble were strewn on the floor and smeared on some walls.
Jeffreys Bay Tourism chair Deon Freemantle said: “We strive to promote the area as a safe destination with good public facilities available for all our tourists. These issues will be discussed and addressed with the municipality to ensure that everyone is safe and has clean public facilities.”
Kouga Municipality’s head of Community Services, Councillor Daniel Benson said the toilet’s state is as a result of vandalism during the lockdown. “Vandalism of ablution facilities is a challenge and became a regular occurrence during the Covid-19 lockdown. The municipality has started fencing off its ablution blocks,” he said.
“The one at the corner of Salamander and St Francis Streets and the one at supertubes will be fenced in September. Once the fence has been installed, the facilities will be repaired to prevent further vandalism. If budget permits, the municipality will install CCTV cameras and security beams around the facilities too,” he said.