Gwarube's pit toilet deadline not legally binding – EE

Gwarube has pledged to eliminate pit toilets in all public schools by the end of March.

Currently, nearly 11,000 schools in the country lack any flushing toilets, and 3,398 schools still rely on these unsafe facilities.

“This has not been promulgated and included in the new norm that does not have timelines or even legally binding deadlines,” said Equal Education Junior Organiser Masechaba Ntsane.

With just under two months remaining before the deadline, Gwarube has identified Limpopo and the Eastern Cape as the provinces with the biggest backlog.

“We are working flat out to make sure that we are supporting provinces like the Eastern Cape and Limpopo that still have a high number of pit toilets and make sure that we are eradicating pit toilets,” the minister told the media.

Ntsane said pupils who are forced to use pit toilets are victims of a human rights violation.

“Pit toilets make it very tough for students to focus on learning, particularly in primary school; we find that the teacher might have to accompany a learner to the bathroom to ensure that they are safe. Students are at risk of falling into these toilets as well as injuring themselves or succumbing to fatalities.

“We suggest that the minister collaborates with grassroots organisations that  are on the ground and are aware of what is happening within our public schools because these are organisations that have been working on these issues for years and have recommended things that ensure the elimination of these toilets.”

In 2021, the Department of Basic Education said it spent more than R300 million to eradicate unsafe school facilities through its Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative.

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