Desperation brought by Privation of Sanitation in Cape Town, South Africa!

Okay, so my title isn't the article title. I admit. I had to name it something and I didn't think the actual title was quite serious to the ...substance.. of the issue.

Cape Town 'poo wars': Mass arrests in South Africa

At least 180 people have been arrested, some carrying bags of human waste, ahead of a planned protest over the lack of proper sanitation in the South African city of Cape Town.

It's a serious story, really. Obviously, the jokes write themselves too, but there does appear to be a real issue of concern to address and sanitation is a serious matter!

The protesters accuse the local government, run by Ms Zille's Democratic Alliance, of not doing enough to provide proper housing and sanitation to townships.

The DA argues that it does not have the money to do this for all of the region's inhabitants.

Now that's a pretty troublesome thing. Not enough money? How much would Porta-Jons cost where nothing better is available? Cholera isn't funny at all. I have a feeling that there is money in that budget somewhere, being spent on something not quite as important as giving the population a means to do their natural business.

It has provided portable toilets to some residents but the protesters say they this is not good enough.

It is the contents of these portable toilets which is being used in the protests, which local media have dubbed the "poo wars".

(Source: BBC)

Oh... Well... Okay... They thought of that and found the solution to be the source of the new problem.

Can someone in South Africa shed some light on this issue for us? Really, the BBC title brings a smirk and a chuckle as I'm sure it's meant to. However, widespread disease is born of poor sanitation conditions in even small populations. This sounds like a wide spread and chronic problem??

some carrying bags of human waste,

Nice idea..ahaha

i think this is the problem of corrupt countries..

reply to post by cheesy


I think corruption is precisely what this is about. We certainly have several South African members here and I've watched them post about their homeland. It's not a backward, 3rd world Sub-Saharan nation. This isn't the Democratic Republic of the Congo we're talking about here. It's South Africa. I'm amazed with each new story I hear for how much it's changed in so short a time.

There but for the grace.....

...but do we really have it or is our turn just coming a bit later?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Poor sanitation causes probably as many deaths as having dead bodies laying around. I would call it a going concern.

I would think that sanitation is a Priority for ANY country.

How much do they think it will cost if EVERYONE gets sick and/or gets Bacterial Infections?

I am telling you now that it would be a Hell of Allot less if they made it a priority to remedy the situation now and Not wait until Everyone is sick.

But then again. .. it is South Africa .. . ..

Didn't they have Apartheid Issues here a few years back? Well, I guess it has been about 20 years ago or so.

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum


Yeah but the Country ran a lot smoother and was safer under Apartheid.

Greedy people in office and this is what you get. :/

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

Hi Wrabbit I will see what I can find later,in local news about this."Die Burger"(the citizen) is an Afrikaans language newspaper that tends to give a better perspective than the ANC-BC aka the SABC.No matter what is extracted from South African tax payers,there will always be excuses of "not enough money" for services needed by the people-because of the corruption in government.
But unemployment rates are very high in my country anyway,and there is the burden of the" working few's" taxes having to support the unemployed many.The ANC of course did not keep their promises of employment for all,excellent service delivery,etc and by the looks of this the DA party has been lacking also.I will see later if I can find more info-i'm still in bed its Freezing early in the mornings now.

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum

Yes next year it will be 20 years since the ANC was handed a thriving 1st world country with possibly the best infrastructure on the continent,low crime levels,high standards in every shere+aspect you can think of-and ran it into the ground.Because its easier to blame Apartheid+the evil white man forever after,than place the blame where it belongs-the greed,petty+vindictive racism,corruption and ineptitude of the ANC.They are hardly qualified to run a bath so being handed a working country,predictably they broke it.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

One way we have it better than the US citizens,is that our government pretty much leaves us alone.They don't do the NSA-type surveillance,or is as overbearing as the US government.Aside from election times,they pretty much ignore the population.
There is a feeling of freedom here that I doubt I would feel anywhere else.We are not safe from criminals but still feel safer in general than I would in Europe and the US.I mean its a general sense of not living under the shadow of a sinister regime-just having to cope with a government of clowns,some of them mean-spirited (anti-white) racist clowns+practically all of them corrupt+inept.But there's not the overwhelming sense of evil+danger I get when considering the American government,for instance.

reply to post by Raxoxane


I can imagine what you mean by the sense of freedom. It's come to a point in the U.S. where I feel that shadow above as a background thing, all the time. Only background, but still...always there. It's hard to miss in this society and I think that's the point.

I don't imagine you have to wonder if you may someday get yourself arrested and never even know, for certain, why it's happened at the time they come. That's a feeling that never should have come to pass in America, yet it has. The future is uncertain and in ways it never should have been and was never supposed to be by our system. I know that sounds conceited, but it's not meant to be. I mean that as saying our system, at it's core, was designed to be self-correcting, even if a bit painfully at times. Those safeguards are largely gone now by neglect and outright suppression of options by those who lead the nation.

I do wonder if your sense of freedom isn't from a far greater sense of ...indifference toward your personal well being as a citizen. That may sound harsh, but I also wonder if you really don't have it better that way. I think we might well have a better life here if our Government were equally indifferent and cold to our fates......not in the middle of our lives to dictate them.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I also think this is about corruption.
You only need to really look at the money a government spends on other things, to see that there are major problems.

These governments are supposed to provide health, security, shelter and social services where possible, but at the same time as any of these are not being provided, politicians are paying themselves obscene salaries, stocking up on weaponry to fight civil unrest, paying lawyers to stop them being exposed as corrupt officials...

Originally posted by Rocker2013
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

These governments are supposed to provide health, security, shelter and social services where possible, but at the same time as any of these are not being provided, politicians are paying themselves obscene salaries, stocking up on weaponry to fight civil unrest, paying lawyers to stop them being exposed as corrupt officials...

I'm afraid I only agree on the Security part and that, to a limited extent of National Security. We cannot be expected to be aware of or mount a defense to outside national threats to our own. Not as citizens.

I think expecting the rest is what has gotten us so dependent that when they fail...and they always, eventually fail by math if nothing else..we're left like a babe in the woods and wondering how to tell North from South.

The Government's job...any Government...is to supply, protect and foster an environment where we can make the rest for ourselves and to the extent each of our abilities make that possible. I have NO problem with 100% Government support or as close as needed for the very young, very old or truly sick/infirm among us. Societies are judged by the way they treat their weakest, not strongest members...or used to be anyway.

Outside of that though? Able bodied people can live or die. Their choice by their efforts and their will to make it. It's harsh but no nation in history or future can support a majority of it's own population. Not in the world we live in today. Maybe that changes for future generations and we see a benevolent Star Trek type economy (Altho, even on the fictional show? ONCE in awhile, you caught a glimpse of how not everyone was spiffy and care free, even there). For now though? Our fate is what we make it and Governments job is just to insure we have a stable place to do that, safe from fears of outside invasion or internal collapse. My thinking, anyway.