EKURHULENI, Gauteng — The City of Ekurhuleni has spent an estimated R23 billion over the past 15 years on chemical toilets for informal settlements, a massive expenditure that has yielded no permanent sanitation infrastructure and is now linked to the murders of two officials investigating the contracts.
Instead of investing in permanent, cost-effective sanitation facilities that would provide better services and restore dignity to residents, the municipality has continuously funneled billions into temporary “bucket toilets.” According to an extensive analysis of publicly available information and city tenders, the money spent on these temporary structures leaves no lasting asset behind once the three-year contracts expire.
A Lucrative Cycle of Temporary Contracts
The financial scale of the sanitation contracts is staggering. The municipality spends approximately R1.8 billion per three-year cycle on these services. Under the current system, about 15 companies are selected per cycle, with each company receiving roughly R4 million per month.
These companies are tasked with installing at least 750 toilets in informal settlements and servicing them—primarily cleaning and making them usable—for the duration of the three-year term. Additionally, water is delivered via trucks. Over the 15-year period, at least 230 different companies have benefited from these rolling contracts, with many of the same companies continuously selected by municipal officials through the tender adjudication system.
Two Officials Murdered During Investigations
The sheer volume of money changing hands has been accompanied by deadly consequences. At least two municipal officials were murdered while actively investigating these highly lucrative contracts.
Mpho Mafole, the chief audit principal for the municipality, was shot and killed on June 30, 2025, in Kempton Park. Mafole had been with the municipality for only three months. Prior to his death, he submitted a highly critical report warning that the municipality was placing itself at risk by unfairly awarding and disqualifying companies for the chemical toilet tenders. He had urged the municipality to fix the procedural unfairness, but was killed shortly after submitting his findings.
Two years prior to Mafole’s murder, Simnikiwe Mapini, a bid adjudicator, was also killed. Mapini was directly adjudicating the award of these tenders and investigating whether the companies being awarded—or disqualified from—the chemical toilet contracts were being processed fairly and procedurally. The common thread in both tragic deaths was their investigation into the integrity of the sanitation tenders.
Political Links and Governance Failures
The investigation into the contracts has uncovered significant political connections. At least three companies linked to Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema have been identified as beneficiaries of the tenders. Headed by individuals described as friends of Malema, these three companies alone have been paid R2 billion since 2016. While Malema is not the only political figure whose associates are benefiting, the connections highlight a deeply entrenched governance failure.
Critics argue that the reliance on chemical toilets is not a genuine service delivery strategy, but rather a primitive 21st-century insult to residents and a highly profitable business model for connected politicians. The system requires little to no capital investment from the contractors, making it a low-risk, high-reward venture that perpetuates the status quo.
The Reality of Informal Settlements
While municipalities often justify the use of temporary structures by claiming they do not want to encourage the permanent stay of informal settlements, the reality on the ground contradicts this approach.
A prime example is the Dukathole Informal Settlement, located in the central business district and industrial zone of Germiston. Established between 1992 and 1994 by residents fleeing political violence from Katlehong, Thokoza, and Vosloorus, the settlement has existed for nearly 40 years. Today, it is home to approximately 20,000 people. Despite some formal housing being built and some residents relocated, the camp continues to grow and remains serviced by this primitive, temporary sanitation system.
Lack of Transparency and Political Will
Despite the scale of the expenditure, the municipality has shown a reluctance to provide transparency. Requests for official data regarding the total expenditure on these chemical toilets were sent to the municipality four weeks ago, with multiple reminders issued. To date, the municipality has failed to answer.
It is alleged that the municipality is too embarrassed to release the official figures, which are expected to be even higher than the R23 billion estimate derived from public tender documents. Ultimately, the continued reliance on this failing system points to a severe lack of political will to implement permanent solutions, as the current temporary model remains a highly lucrative line of business for those in power.
