Johannesburg - The Public Servants Association (PSA) demands that the Department of Basic Education prioritise budget allocation for the urgent eradication of pit latrines by the end of 2023.
This comes after news of the death of Langalam Viki, whose body was found in a pit latrine at Mcwangele JSS in the Eastern Cape. The senior toilet was not the age-appropriate toilet where he would have normally gone.
Reuben Maleka, the PSA spokesperson, said: “The PSA, as the representative union of thousands of education sector employees, is concerned about the lack of urgency by the Department of Basic Education to eradicate pit toilets at rural public schools.”
He said that pit toilets at schools were a violation of the right to access quality education as well as the human right to dignity, safety, and life.
“The department should further procure temporary sanitation facilities whilst resolving the matter. Relevant stakeholders, such as unions, NGOs, and communities, must hold the department accountable for the violation of human rights and the Constitution of the country.
“The minimum norms and standards published in 2013 stated that all schools had to be provided with proper sanitation by 2016. The Minister of Basic Education postponed and committed that pit toilets would be eradicated by the end of 2022. The Minister, however, recently reported that there are still more schools that use pit latrines. It cannot be condoned that the government shifts its targets to address a glaring human rights violation.”
He added that, in the wake of Human Rights Day, thousands of learners at rural schools continue to suffer and experience hardship in using such sanitation facilities.
“The department is not concerned about the safety of learners, educators, and support staff at schools. Urgent interventions are required to improve school infrastructure in support of a conducive teaching and learning environment,” said Maleka.
“The death of Viki follows that of Michael Komape, a pupil at Mahlodumela Primary in Limpopo, who fell into a pit toilet and lost his life. Similar tragedies took place at a primary school in Glen Gray in Eastern Cape, and Lumka Mketwa who also died in a pit latrine in 2018. Lumka had died in an undignified manner that I found incredibly disturbing.”
In response to The Star’s questions, Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has vowed to do away with pit toilets at schools that still have them across the country.
“The first is that we increased the technical capacity of officials in the infrastructure team by recruiting five built environment specialists, including a head of infrastructure, who are solely focused on implementing our infrastructure projects.
“Secondly, the president launched the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative to specifically address the infrastructure backlog in our schools. The rapid and successful roll-out of Grade R in our schools meant that just under 4 000 schools were found to be lacking in either age-appropriate infrastructure, in particular, or adequate infrastructure in general,” said Mhlanga.
The Star