User:JustinePorto/Public toilets in South Africa

Public toilets in South Africa are limited in quantity. They can be found at government buildings, malls, cafes, bars and restaurants. Sludge management often dictates the type of public toilets built, with types including urine diverting toilets. Open defecation still takes place in the country when toilet access is rare.

Public toilets
A 2021 study found there were four public toilets per 100,000 people. In South Africa, the need for sludge management was an issue when considering the type of public toilets to be constructed.

Public toilets, both business and government owned ones, often charge; it is not illegal for businesses to charge customers to access their toilets. The area near Table Mountain National Park has no public toilets. Many of the hostels in Langa and Nyanga have units that hold 16 men, with a shared toilet and toilet in each unit.

At some game reserves, the public toilet is a pit latrine located at a break in the reeds.

History
In majority white ruled parts of the country in the late 1970s, public toilets were often available and well maintained as a means of reinforcing racial segregation. These facilities were also something demanded by local white expatriates. This contrasted with public toilet services for other people, which were largely non-existent.

Open defecation and sanitation
Progress began to be made in general waste management in the 1990s.

Cape Town
Cape Town has only a few public toilets. Many locals go to malls instead, as those reliably tend to have public toilet facilities. Many cafes, bars and restaurants in Cape Town also have toilet facilities, which they often allow non-clients to access upon request.

Durban
Public toilets in Durban included urine diverting toilets and community ablution blocks. People who needed to travel further than 75 meters from their residence in Durban in order to defecate were more likely to engage in open defecation.

Over 2,500 public toilets were created in over 500 informal settlements Durban by repurposing shipping containers. The toilets then had a paid part-time attendant on site to maintain these facilities. The toilets cost around USD$65,000 each to construct. Free to use, the toilets serve a population over over 1 million people, with an acceptance rate of around 80% inside local communities.

The local government in Durban did a community consultation before building new community toilets. During the consultation, one of the things they found out was that residents wanted a space where they could read and relax away from their home and from work. When the government built toilets and renovated existing ones, they allowed attendants to set up games and music near them. This allowed local residents their desired place to relax and socialize in the community.

Johannesburg
Public toilets in Johannesburg were segregated in the 1980s.

Regional and global situation impacting public toilets in South Africa
Around 2.5 billion people around the world in 2018 did not have access to adequate toilet facilities. Around 4.5 billion people lacked access to proper sanitation. Public toilet access around the world is most acute in the Global South, with around 3.6 billion people, 40% of the world's total population, lacking access to any toilet facilities. 2.3 people in the the Global South do not have toilet facilities in their residence. Despite the fact that the United Nation made a declaration in 2010 that clean water and sanitation is a human right, little has been done in many places towards addressing this on a wider level. 344 million children in sub-Saharan Africa did not have a toilet in their home in 2018. The lack of toilet access put these children at risk of water borne diseases.

Across Africa, open defecation had social consequences. These included loss of dignity and privacy. It also put women at risk of sexual violence. Lack of access to adequate sanitation in the 2000s and 2010s left women particularly vulnerable to gender violence.

There are generally two toilet styles in public bathrooms in Africa. One is a traditional squat toilet. The other is a western style toilet with bowl and a place to sit.