The ANC's sanitation track record a lie

The ANC's claims on billboards erected in Cape Town that 36 million South Africans have been provided with access to sanitation since 1994, has been revealed to be nothing more than a falsehood. 

Furthermore, one of these billboards was erected on school property - a violation of electoral laws -  and rightfully removed.

A study conducted by Africa Check, a non-partisan organisation that exists to fact-check claims made in the public arena, indicates that the ANC's claims "exaggerates [the party's] achievements over the past 19 years and is not supported by the available data".

According to Africa Check and Census data, only 28.3-million people had access to sanitation in 2011 and it is unlikely that number soared by 12.7-million in the past two years.

The DA will continue to scrutinise the ANC's claims and hold it to account when it deceives voters. 

The South African public needs facts, and not lies, in order to make informed decisions regarding which political parties to support in next year's election. 

The DA's record in Cape Town speaks for itself. According to 2011 Census data, in the Western Cape, 99.1% of households have access to piped water and 96.9% have access to sanitation. Through an increase in the sanitation and sewage infrastructure budget, the amount of toilets in informal settlements in the Western Cape have more than tripled (10,591 to 34,225) ensuring access to sanitation for over 88% of its population. 

We will strive to extend the same service delivery excellence to all South Africans where we are elected to govern in 2014.

Statement issued by Stevens Mokgalapa MP, DA Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, November 12 2013

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