Pissed off that people pee everywhere

IT IS becoming more commonplace to see grown men urinating in public.

And the long arm of the law is turning a blind eye to this health hazard and a chronic symptom of societal decline.

Why, I have often seen a police van stopped at the side of the road and its male occupants splashing their boots with no regard for what others think of them or the impact of their actions.

Over the years public urination has become one of the worst public nuisances. The dirty phenomenon of open weeing is now as familiar as a dog lifting a leg. Urinating in public is socially unacceptable. It is wrong.

In almost every country around the globe, urinating in public is illegal. Offenders may be guilty of presenting a public nuisance, disorderly conduct, indecent exposure or public lewdness. Every South African municipality has a bylaw which rules that a person who urinates in public is committing an offence which carries a penalty.

But laws are only as good as the enforcement thereof. The problem is that the by-laws are seldom applied. Homelessness, drunkenness and the lack of public toilets are advanced by many in defence of public urination.

I hold a view that is contrary to the politically popular posture. For me, someone exposing themselves in a public place must not be tolerated. Nature calls are sometimes difficult to cheat. But passing it out for the public to see is a no-no, aesthetically and hygienically. By-laws must be strictly enforced.

There must be zero tolerance for those who flout the bylaws. The rule of law will over time have a ripple effect. People will soon learn that emptying the bladder in public comes with serious consequences.

When I ponder how best authorities can stop this abhorrent practice of men unzipping their trousers willy-nilly (pun unintended) and peeing in public, I am reminded of how cities in India tackled a widespread public nuisance: spitting.

Four decades ago, walking two floors up a Mumbai (then Bombay) office block, I assumed there must have been many serious fights in that building. The walls of the narrow staircase were covered in what looked like blood.

My trepidation diminished when I was informed by my friends that the red stains were caused by betel nut chewers spitting on the walls. Pavements and other public infrastructures were also covered in betel nut stains.

Soon I developed an aversion for the red spittle blemishes everywhere, never mind that some people made a living from the betel nut trade, and some argued that the betel or areca nut was part of Indian culture and should not be banned.

On later visits to India, I noticed the red stains were less prominent. Cities and states had begun promulgating laws prohibiting spitting in public places and prescribed a fine of up to 5 000 rupees (R1 200) in addition to other costs incurred for cleaning or removal of spit and/or stains. During the Covid pandemic, many Indian states ramped up the penalty for spitting.

In South Africa it would appear to be in keeping with the lifestyle for men to urinate in public, all the time. Sometimes in secret nooks and crannies, but most times in broad daylight along major roads and freeways.

I have often seen parcel or food delivery employees urinating in public while on their rounds. Imagine pizzas being delivered with hands that had not been washed after completion of the wee-ing business. Hence, when placing an order, I always say “collect” rather

than “deliver”.

Residents in my neighbourhood complain of men urinating in their front gardens, and businesses report streams of urine in doorways and down walls. Every morning, there is a strong vomit-inducing stench of urine in the covered entranceway of the post office in my suburb – the enclosed area is used as sleeping quarters for the homeless.

Urinating in public is not just a habit of the poor and uneducated. I often see well-dressed drivers of expensive cars, men of all ages and skin colour, pulling off the road in a haste to take a leak.

However, imposing fines for urinating in public may not be that easy. There was an outcry after the Umhlathuze Traffic Department issued a 52-year-old man with a R2 000 fine for urinating in public at the Richards Bay Boardwalk earlier this year. Social media users shone the spotlight on a variety of issues, including the unavailability of clean public toilets and that some toilets could only be used for a fee of R2.

How will a homeless, jobless man pay R2? Or worse still a fine of a couple of grand? Surely, he cannot be thrown into prison because if this is the case, our jails will be overflowing with the number of jobless men who will be charged for peeing in public.

If the authorities seriously hope to build widespread public acceptance of the rules against urinating in public, then they must influence public opinion by getting religious and community leaders, politicians, entertainers, teachers, the media and the medical fraternity to make the public aware of the dangers of piddling in public places.

People must be taught to use the toilet before going out. Parents must teach children that urinating by the roadside is wrong. Self-discipline must be developed – it must be instilled in people to do the right thing.

Of course, norms will continue to go on until an intervention challenges them. Changing ‘norms’ is a gradual process, and can’t be achieved overnight.

Using a bit of innovation and imagination might also come in handy. Car manufacturer Nissan first used dirt-reflecting paint to protect cars from any liquid form of dirt. This same reflector paint was used to paint walls and street corners in Germany and San Francisco where public urination was a problem.

Any stream of liquid aimed at the wall bounces back off at roughly the same angle. Men were given a splash of their own leak. Posters warning about “Pee-back” walls were displayed to warn people. This reduced public urination, at least where the warnings were displayed.

Using images of Hindu deities to stop people from urinating on walls is already prevalent in India.

Perhaps back home in South Africa, we can use pictures of top soccer players from PSL clubs Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs to slowly drive the message home.