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Mr Eric Mafanedza, a tenant of the office building previously named Vleissentraal, was not happy when safety doors and locks were put on the tenants' toilets.  “I will be satisfied if we get the same treatment and if I have keys for all the toilets,” Mafenedza said. On 10 November, he showed the keys giving him access to all the toilets.

Toilet war ... or just storm in a teacup?

Date: 14 November 2014 By: Linda van der Westhuizen

The old Vleissentraal building in Louis Trichardt’s Erasmus Street became notorious overnight after a “toilet war” erupted last week over alleged segregated toilets for whites and blacks.

The Sowetan carried a front page article regarding the “segregated” toilets on 5 November. It immediately sparked public outrage, especially from government departments and political parties. The same day as the initial report came out, representatives from the Human Rights Commission also visited the building.

Following the report, the Zoutpansberger spoke to the tenants in the building to find out whether there was truth to the allegations, or whether it was just the proverbial “storm in a teacup”.

Prior to the article in the national media, the Sentraal building, previously named Vleissentraal, received a visit from a male who asked Ms Rina van Schalkwyk, the manager of the building, for a key to the female toilet. Van Schalkwyk said she asked him whether he was a tenant since the toilets in the building were for tenants only. He purported to be a tenant who had started that very day, which later proved to be untrue, and she offered to direct him to the male toilet. He insisted on the key to the female toilet, however, and she refused.

The building has two single toilets near the front entrance and two double toilets in the corridor. The single toilets were traditionally used by the managers and owners of the building and the double toilets by the tenants.

“I didn’t even realise that there were other toilets in the building. Now that this issue has been raised, I think all of us should have keys for all toilets,” said tenant Mr Tshifhiwa Maeko on 6 November. Before the end of that day, keys were cut and distributed to all tenants.

“This was never about the toilets. The toilet issue had been blown out of proportion,” said a tenant employee, Mr Rudolf Tsweji, on 10 November.

Van Schalkwyk, who has managed the building for the owners, Messrs Willie and Ben van der Merwe, for three years, said that none of the long-standing tenants had ever asked her for keys to the single toilets.

From the owners’ side, Mr Ben van der Merwe explained that the reason why they had locked the toilets was due to ongoing problems with blockages. The toilets had been upgraded, but the blockages continued, with three incidents occurring in the recent past. Through a window in the double female toilet, objects blocking the drain were spotted. The tenants of the shops below the offices also rent from the Van der Merwes. Every time the toilet was blocked, it would overflow into a shop below, that of Mr Dirk Griesel. He, along with Mr Enos Mutshinya and Ms Josephine Mulaudzi, then had to work despite the smell. “All of us, black and white, use the same toilet below and we use toilet paper 100% of the time,” said Ms Mulaudzi.  

The blockages above are continually caused by people flushing away newspapers, pap, chicken bones and even a teaspoon. The tenants blamed an office worker in the building for the pap and chicken bones and she started using the manager’s toilet. The owners then installed safety doors in front of the double toilets and tenants could make their own keys or ask for the keys at Van Schalkwyk’s office. When she had to do deliveries after 15:00 in the afternoon, she left the keys at the office of Mr Happy Mugobi, a new tenant who is consistently available and who was the first to ask for keys of the single toilets.

Mr Eric Mafanedza, another tenant, was not happy with the new arrangements. He admitted to the Zoutpansberger that he was the one who had mobilised the tenants in the other offices over the “separate toilets”. “The problem started with the locks. Why do I have to go and ask for a key and cannot go to the toilet after 15:00 on a Friday?” Mafenedza asked. He also received his keys to all the toilets this week.

The incident took a nasty turn when, following the Sowetan’s report, Van Schalkwyk received two extremely vulgar and threatening SMSes from a person claiming to be the “no-nonsense Chief Justice of EFF Aubrey Setlhalogile in Brits”. His existence could not, however, be verified.

There seems to be other issues that the tenants want to raise with the landlord. In this regard, Ben confirmed that a meeting between him and the tenants has been arranged for 17 November. The Van der Merwes will also meet with the Human Rights Commission in Polokwane later this week.

In the meantime, Willie apologised to Vleissentraal for any negative effects the situation might have had on them. The old Vleissentraal name board has since also been removed.

 
 
 

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Linda van der Westhuizen

Linda van der Westhuizen has been with Zoutnet since 2001. She has a heart for God, people and their stories. Linda believes that every person is unique and has a special story to tell. It follows logically that human interest stories is her speciality. Linda finds working with people and their leaders in the economic, educational, spiritual and political arena very rewarding. “I have a special interest in what God is doing in our town, province and nation and what He wants us to become,” says Linda.

 
 

More photos... 

Co-owner of the building Mr Ben van der Merwe shows the three most recent receipts of the plumber who unblocks the drain every time. The owners then installed safety doors on the toilets.

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