STINKING toilets kill business and dehumanise women.
That’s the cry from taximen at the Govan Mbeki Avenue Taxi Rank in Port Elizabeth.
For three months, taximen and hawkers have been battling to breathe as streams of urine run down the rank.
The urine goes under the taxis and commuters have to jump over it to get into taxis. Daily Sun ran the story on 17 October but the problem has not been fixed.
Queue marshall Themba Makaleni from Port Elizabeth District Taxi Association said: “This is disgusting. The whole rank stinks of urine and poo next to the toilets. I don’t blame them because most people are on chronic treatment.
“The other block of toilets down the street is working but is very filthy. This one stopped working after a water pipe burst in Govan Mbeki Avenue.
“Two weeks ago,a municipal water truck arrived and washed the toilets. But no chemicals were used. We’ve tried putting household disinfectants but the stink is too strong.”
Hawker Nompumelelo Ndumisa (48) said the bad smell was killing her business.
“Commuters no longer buy my food since these toilets were closed.
“Women’s dignity has been dragged through the mud as we are forced to pee in public,” she said.
Commuter Xoliswa Pendu (40) said: “This was a mess especially on pay day. Men pee on the wall and urine streams down the taxi rank.
“This must come to an end. We can’t live like this. The municipality must fix these toilets. They’re hot and stinky.”
Mayoral spokesman George Geleba said previously he was aware of the situation.
He could not be reached for comment yesterday as he was on leave.