The Limpopo Department of Education is under intense scrutiny as it approaches its self-imposed deadline of 31 March 2025 to eliminate pit toilets from “Priority 1” schools.
This urgent initiative comes after the department failed to meet its earlier deadline, 31 March 2023, leading to a series of extensions that raised concerns about accountability and the welfare of learners.
Since December 2021, human rights organisation SECTION27 has overseen the department’s progress following a High Court ruling linked to the tragic case of Michael Komape. This major ruling mandated the department to create and report on a plan to eradicate inadequate sanitation facilities in Limpopo schools every six months. With time running out, SECTION27 is actively monitoring these developments and advocating for the rights of students who have endured unsafe learning conditions for far too long.
At the heart of SECTION27’s monitoring efforts is the Michael Komape Sanitation Progress Monitor, an online tool that allows the public to track the department's actions and plans regarding sanitation at individual schools. It offers users the ability to see specific school conditions, such as current toilet facilities and how many learners are affected. While this initiative represents an important step towards transparency, the findings have raised alarm bells about the reality on the ground.
According to recent reports, there are 3,667 schools in Limpopo needing urgent assistance for sanitation. The department categorised these schools into three priority classifications: 564 “Priority 1” schools that rely solely on pit toilets, 1,579 “Priority 2” schools with partial sanitation facilities but in need of improvement, and 1,524 “Priority 3” schools requiring maintenance. While the department aims to replace pit toilets in Priority 1 schools by the March 2025 deadline, SECTION27's findings during site visits have raised serious questions about the readiness.
SECTION27 said during inspections in February, it came across disturbing instances of overcrowding and unsafe conditions in mobile toilet facilities at several schools. In one case, a staggering 1,000 learners were dependent on just eight mobile toilets, which quickly became unsanitary and were only cleaned once a week. Such dire circumstances led to learners being forced to use facilities that were deemed hazardous to their health and dignity.
In another worrying incident, only four mobile toilets were available for over 570 learners, leading to unsanitary queues and, in some cases, learners having to leave school for the day due to the lack of functional ablution facilities. The ongoing delay in constructing proper sanitation facilities continues to violate students' rights, as stated by SECTION27, which calls for immediate intervention from the department and its national counterpart.
As the 31 March deadline looms, SECTION27 remains vigilant, stating that 12 Priority 1 schools still remain in the “construction” phase, originally expected to complete in December 2024.
Apart from holding the department accountable, SECTION27 encourages all stakeholders to utilise the online monitoring tool to stay informed and advocate for better sanitation processes in schools across the province.
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