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E-mail Xinhua, March 11, 2025
CAPE TOWN, March 11 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced on Tuesday that over 93 percent of identified pit toilets in public schools have been eradicated.
Addressing the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town, the country's legislative capital, Gwarube described the achievement as "a critical step toward ensuring that all learners have access to safe and dignified sanitation facilities."
Since 2018, 3,372 pit toilets have been identified in schools across the country. Through the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative, over 93 percent have been eliminated, with the remaining cases set to be addressed in the coming weeks.
"Despite the severe fiscal constraints facing the basic education sector, the department has remained resolute in its commitment to meeting the deadline set by President Cyril Ramaphosa to eradicate unsafe sanitation in schools by March 31, 2025," said Gwarube.
While acknowledging challenges such as budget constraints, infrastructure backlogs, and rising construction costs, Gwarube emphasized that eliminating school pit toilets was a non-negotiable priority.
"Since 1994, we have made significant strides in eradicating mud schools, unsafe structures, and inadequate sanitation facilities. Yet, we are still faced with schools that lack proper classrooms, electricity, water, and functional toilets," Gwarube said.
Pit toilets have long caused concern in South African schools, particularly in rural areas. Over the years, several children have died after falling into these unsafe structures.
According to local media, in 2021, the Limpopo High Court ordered the provincial Department of Education to replace all pit toilets in public schools following the tragic death of a five-year-old boy in 2014. In another incident in 2023, a four-year-old girl drowned after falling into a pit toilet at her school in the Eastern Cape.
Launched in 2018, the SAFE initiative was introduced as a targeted intervention to address inadequate sanitation in schools, with a focus on eliminating reliance on pit toilets. Enditem
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