The use of the bucket toilet system remains a persistent problem in several municipalities across the country.
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported that bucket toilets remain a thorn in the flesh of several municipalities despite the general decline.
The Non-financial Census of Municipalities Report, which provides data on service delivery from the supply side, shows that while some municipalities are reducing bucket toilet use, others have recorded an increase.
Stats SA said that despite the overall decline, the number of consumers using bucket toilets was still above pre-pandemic lows.
The bucket toilets are provided by municipalities to communities, often as a short-term option until permanent sanitation solutions are in place
However, challenges often derail the development of more sustainable alternatives, making it difficult to replace bucket toilets
As a result, many households live with the daily indignity of a bucket toilet marked by the acrid stench of human waste after three decades of democracy, with costly government programmes to eradicate the inhumane reality amounting to nought.
The report indicated that the Free State province had the highest number of households using a bucket toilet, accounting for almost half of the national total.
It said in 2023, 37 municipalities out of 257 provided bucket toilets as a service. These were located across five provinces - 13 municipalities in Free State, 12 in Northern Cape, seven in the Eastern Cape, three in North West and two in the Western Cape.
“Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality serviced the highest number of bucket toilets in 2023. Despite its position at the top of the list, the city has cut down on bucket toilet use over the last decade. In 2013, Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality serviced 30,202 households with this type of sanitation, reducing the number to 6,010 in 2023.
The decline recorded by Nelson Mandela Bay follows a general national trend. Municipalities nationwide recorded a peak of 100,618 households using the service in 2013. From this point, municipalities made progress, reducing the number to a low of 42,434 in 2019,” read the report.
Bucket toilet prevalence climbed to 47,214 households in 2020 but reduced to 45,105 in 2022. The number edged lower to 44,970 in 2023, still above pre-pandemic lows, according to Stats SA.
“Five municipalities managed to cut down on bucket toilet use in 2023 compared with 2022, with Mafube Local Municipality making the biggest positive impact. Two other municipalities in Free State also recorded declines. Four municipalities, however, recorded an increase in the use of bucket toilets. Dawid Kruiper in Northern Cape registered the highest increase of 2,781 households using the service. That was followed by Ditsobotla, with a rise of 780 households.”
Residents of Arlington in Nketoana Local Municipality, Free State, recently embarked on a protest over the removal of the bucket system. During their protest, residents poured buckets in the streets.
The Nketoana Independent Forum (NIF) said residents have been fighting this issue for years and also wanted the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to intervene. The Forum’s interim secretary, Tefu Keele, said the townships such as Petsana, Mamafubedu and Leratswana are still using buckets and pit toilets.
He said all the informal settlements in the municipality have never had proper infrastructure for sanitation and water, including roads and lights. Keele said all the projects meant to address these issues have failed and no one has been held to account.
“Now, the situation is worse. We have a shortage of water and the bucket system. The municipality told us that they are not able to collect the buckets due to certain reasons known to them. That is when the community decided to take this to the streets and fight for their rights,” he said.
Asked for a comment, Mojalefa Mokoena, head of the mayoral office, said the municipality acknowledges the ongoing challenges faced by the residents due to inadequate sanitation infrastructure. Mokena said the issues are deeply rooted in the legacy of apartheid spatial planning and systemic underdevelopment, and the municipality has not been able to fully address them due to constrained resources.
Mokeona said the municipality also depends on the provincial and national governments to address these challenges.
“One such intervention was the national project aimed at eliminating the bucket toilet system through the installation of a grey water sewer network. This project was intended to serve the communities of Reitz, Mamafubedu and Arlington. While we welcome this much-needed development, it is deeply concerning that the implementation has faced significant delays over the year,” he said.
Mokoena added that the municipality also held a meeting with DWS on Monday (April 14) and the new team that would oversee the completion of these projects was introduced.
“The new rules of engagement were signed on March 1, 2025,” said Mokoena, adding that the mayor has visited all the sites and instructed senior management to take charge and be decisive.
Free State Cogta spokesperson, Zimasa Mbewu, said National Treasury made available R875m through the Municipal Infrastrure Grant to address basic services.
"Each Municipality based on the needs identified by Communities endorsed by Councils through IDP’s were allocated on Water 24% (R124,8m) and Sanitation 16% (R83,8m) towards addressing challenges of availability of water supply and eradication of buckets in some areas including refurbishment of existing infrastructure. Through this funding MIG has approved projects which are under implementation in different stages of construction, and they are planned to be completed in the next financial year (2025/26 FY).
"COGTA has partnered with the Department of Water and Sanitation in the Region who are the custodian of water services and take a lead when it comes to norms and standards for provision of water and sanitation. Through Bucket eradication programme (BEP), DWS is currently undertaking projects to address various areas within the Province where applications were approved and funded," said Mbewu.
According to Mbewu, these projects are in different stages of construction.
"(It is) also dependent on completion of associated infrastructure such as Refurbishment of Water Treatment Works and also outfall sewer lines in some case where contracts have been allocated to different service providers.
"The remaining backlog of 10 186 keeps on increasing due to allocation of new sites in various areas of the province due to lack of resources (i.e. funding for infrastructure) to start new township establishments with installed water and sanitation infrastructure," said Mbewu.
DWS spokesperson Wisane Mavasa also could not respond at the time of publication.
The government has set several target dates for eradicating bucket toilets over the years. In 2003, the Cabinet approved the Strategic Framework for water services aimed at eradicating the bucket system by 2006.
The government missed this deadline.
The Bucket Eradication Programme (BEP), a focused programme to tackle the bucket toilet system in the Eastern Cape, Free State, North West and Northern Cape, was also introduced in 2013, but it has been marred by delays and huge underspending.
DWS set a target to tackle 10, 798 existing bucket backlog systems in formal settlements for the financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. However, according to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the replacement did not happen over the two financial year period and the department spent less than 10% of its allocated budget on the BEP.
The commission, in its report issued in November 2024, said that, given this lackadaisical approach, it was no surprise that the bucket toilet system continues to be a thing of the present.
The report was conducted by Commissioner Henk Boshoff and a research advisor, Peacemore Mhodi.
The commission said the utilisation of the bucket system as a form of sanitation is abhorrent and constitutes an affront to the right to dignity. It said the bucket system has serious effects on public health and affects one’s sense of well-being.
“Indeed, factors such as water scarcity, rapid population growth, climate change, and rapid urbanisation continue to put a strain on the government’s efforts to tackle the bucket toilet system. However, these should not deter the government from abiding by its commitment to universal safe and hygienic sanitation by 2030.
Government cannot afford to bury its head in the sand. Rather, it must tackle these challenges head-on,” said SAHRC.
The government also made commitments to tackle the bucket toilet system in its plans, such as the National Development Plan 2030, the National Sanitation Policy and the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan. However, according to the SAHRC, this has seemed elusive.