The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has made remarkable progress in eliminating hazardous pit toilets from schools, achieving a 96% eradication rate since the 2018 audit. Minister of Basic Education, Ms. Siviwe Gwarube, announced this milestone on Friday at a national event in Limpopo, crediting the success to government action, strong partnerships, and sustained commitment under the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Initiative.
In 2018, a shocking 3,372 schools were found to have unsafe pit toilets. Today, only 141 schools still require intervention. “This is significant progress, but our work is not done until every learner has access to safe and dignified sanitation,” Minister Gwarube stated.
The Minister provided a provincial progress report, highlighting:
✔ North West, Free State, and Mpumalanga – 100% eradication (No remaining pit toilets).
✔ Limpopo – 99.74% (Only 1 school left out of 391).
✔ KwaZulu-Natal – 96.4% (1,209 of 1,254 schools completed).
✔ Eastern Cape – 93.3% (1,343 of 1,439 schools completed).
✔ Gauteng, Western Cape, and Northern Cape – No pit toilets identified in 2018.
The DBE has committed to completing 90 more schools by July 2025, pushing the eradication rate beyond 98%.
While progress has been impressive, some delays were caused by:
- Donor funding shortfalls (only 74% of commitments met).
- Severe weather, rural accessibility issues, and construction mafia disruptions.
- Underperforming contractors.
To address these, the DBE is:
🔹 Transferring stalled donor projects to provincial departments for direct oversight.
🔹 Terminating poor-performing contractors and enhancing site security.
Recognizing that some schools may have been missed, the DBE will conduct a new national sanitation audit. The public is urged to report any remaining pit toilets via the Safe Schools App (safeschools.gov.za), which has already received 166 reports.
To prevent future deterioration, the DBE has implemented:
✅ Ring-fenced budgets for infrastructure maintenance.
✅ Strict oversight by district officials, principals, and School Governing Bodies (SGBs).
✅ Expanded National School Hygiene Programme (NSHP) with partners like Unilever, UNICEF, and GIZ.
“This government must dare to dream bigger, act faster, and solve problems once considered intractable,” Minister Gwarube declared. “We are committed to ensuring no child in South Africa ever has to use unsafe sanitation again.”
