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Brett Herron, ID Councillor and Spokesperson for the ID Caucus in the City of Cape Town, today said that the ID shares the concerns of those organising and participating in the global campaign for clean water and sanitation and that the ID has, over the past few months, been actively campaigning for the City of Cape Town to improve its service delivery with regards to basic services.

The Queue is a global campaign, from the 20 - 22 March 2010, which will see thousands of people, around the world, symbolically queuing for a toilet in solidarity with the "2.5 billion" people who do not have access to clean water and basic sanitation. In Cape Town the event will take place in Sea Point on the 20 March 2010.

"Over the past few months we have been voicing our concerns with regards to the City's delivery of water and sanitation services and we have been actively campaigning for improved access to these basic services for those who live in backyards and informal settlements. We fully support The Queue campaign, coinciding with our Human Rights Day weekend, to raise awareness of the hundreds of thousands of Capetonians who are deprived of direct access to a toilet and a tap" said Herron.

"Our campaign over the past few months has included a Notice of Motion calling on the City to change its attitude towards backyard dwellers, by amongst other proposals, providing backyard dwellers with direct access to basic sanitation and water services"

"We were also outraged by the ludicrous "toilet deal" the City supposedly concluded with the Makhaza community in Khayalitsha which saw toilets without walls being provided to residents. We raised questions about this in the Housing Portfolio Committee meeting in February 2010 and expressed our deep misgivings about the City even entering an arrangement like that with a poor and vulnerable community" said Herron.

"More recently we were very alarmed to read the Water Dialogues International Report which claimed that 100 000 household, or half-a-million people, in informal settlements in Cape Town do not have access to basic sanitation; this while the City's annual report claims 100% delivery of basic sanitation and water services. We have submitted a question for written reply by the Executive Mayor at the next council meeting".