Although there are areas that are still using the bucket system, Human Settlements Minister Connie September is confident that South Africa will meet the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) on sustainable sanitation.

September was speaking at the launch of the Bucket Toilet Eradication Programme in Grahamstown. The Makana Municipality, which includes Grahamstown, has had water service delivery stoppages recently, SABC News reported.

At the start of March, September said that government plans to eradicate the bucket system by theend of this month.

Eastern Cape Human Settlements MEC Helens Sauls August has said that the province has strengthened its systems to avoid what she calls a second generation of sanitation backlog.According to August, a lot of sanitation infrastructure which was built swiftly to meet the original bucket eradication target of 2007 is in poor condition, with a high number of sewage spills.

In an effort to meet the MDGs, R40 billion in infrastructure grants will be transferred to municipalities for water and sanitation functions this year.