The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) has committed R25 million over three years to provide dignified sanitation solutions for communities across the metro.

MMC for Infrastructure and Engineering, Khanya Ngqisha, said for the past decade, the municipality has experienced the mushrooming of illegal informal settlements across the metro.

"These settlements have exerted pressure on the already strained system, with communities demanding sanitation, water, and electricity. These demands come on top of the already existing backlog of the bucket system," Ngqisha said.

Ngqisha said in 2015, the municipality had 32 000 bucket toilets and through focused interventions dating back to 2019, the number has since been reduced to 6 100 buckets.

Ngqisha said for the next three years, the metro plans to eradicate the remaining buckets entirely, ensuring that every resident has access to dignified sanitation.

To facilitate this goal, cluster service providers have been appointed to construct various sanitation typologies, including communal ablution blocks and single toilet units.

"This initiative is designed not only to improve health and hygiene but also to enhance the overall quality of life for our residents. As part of the rollout, contractors have been introduced to local councillors and community members [with] some contractors already on site, actively working.

"As a critical element of this project, the directorate is also conducting community engagement sessions to ensure that contractors understand the unique needs of the areas they serve before they start with construction," Ngqisha said.