SECTION27 is closely monitoring whether the Limpopo Department of Education (LDoE) will meet its own 31 March 2025 deadline to eradicate and replace all pit toilets at so-called “Priority 1” schools in the province. The department missed their initial 31 March 2023 deadline to do so and has repeatedly extended this deadline. As part of our monitoring, SECTION27 also verified the LDoE’s progress in February this year at some schools in the province and we are concerned by some of our findings.
SECTION27 has been monitoring the department’s progress since December 2021, following a High Court order handed down in the Michael Komape case, compelling the LDoE to provide new plans to eradicate and replace basic pit toilets and address other forms of inadequate sanitation at schools in Limpopo, and to report on the implementation of those plans every six months.
As part of our efforts to hold the LDoE accountable and ensure that no other learner dies an avoidable death in unsafe pit toilets, SECTION27 developed the Michael Komape Sanitation Progress Monitor. This online progress tool contains all the data SECTION27 has received from the LDoE so far, including the LDoE’s 2021 revised plan and subsequent bi-annual reports. The tool allows the public to check on progress made at individual Limpopo schools and monitor the LDoE’s progress in eliminating and replacing unsafe and undignified pit toilets and other inadequate sanitation at public schools throughout the Limpopo province. The tool provides a search feature that allows users to find a specific school in Limpopo or to locate schools within a particular district or quintile. By clicking on a school’s name, users can access more detailed information about that school, such as the number of learners and what the toilet situation is at that school. Additionally, users can now interact with a recently added map, which provides a bird’s-eye view of the progress made by the LDoE over the years.
In its reports, the LDoE explains that 3667 schools in Limpopo require assistance, however, some schools have more urgent needs than others. The LDoE therefore created a system to help prioritise schools.
In terms of this system, the LDoE identified 564 “Priority 1 schools” as having the most urgent needs. These schools operate with pit toilets only and the LDoE has undertaken to complete these by 31 March 2025.
The LDoE also identified 1579 “Priority 2 schools” as schools that have some form of adequate sanitation, but not enough, and undertook to assist these schools between 2024 and 2027. Lastly, the LDoE identified 1524 “Priority 3 schools” as schools that have sufficient appropriate sanitation but need maintenance and refurbishment. These schools would be assisted between 2027 and 2029.
Since December 2021, SECTION27 has focused its monitoring on Priority 1 schools, and has experienced some challenges with the LDoE’s progress reports.
For example, the 2021 court order mandated the LDoE to provide mobile toilets to schools to address urgent sanitation needs and immediate safety risks while permanent toilets are being built. However, on more than one occasion, SECTION27 has had to engage with the LDoE on the inadequate provision of mobile toilets.
On one of its site visits conducted in February, SECTION27 witnessed the unsafe and unsanitary conditions of mobile toilets that learners were forced to use. At one school, eight mobile toilets are servicing over 1000 learners, and become full very quickly. Within days, these toilets are maggot-infested, with an unbearable stench and are only cleaned once a week during school hours. Learners are therefore continuously forced to use these unhygienic and unsanitary toilets on a regular basis, and the construction of new toilets has not begun.
At another school, SECTION27 was advised that only four mobile toilets service over 570 learners. As many learners must queue during break time, some accidentally relieve themselves while waiting and must be sent home.
At a separate school, SECTION27 was advised that mobile toilets servicing 200 primary school learners were removed without warning, forcing learners to leave school early or not attend at all as no ablution facilities were available. While mobile toilets were recently returned, this is only for a limited period. Although construction of Enviroloos began some years ago, this has paused and has not yet resumed.
SECTION27 has alerted the LDoE and national Department of Education to these challenges, without any response. As these conditions violate learners’ rights to basic education, dignity, equality, the best interests of the child and a child’s right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being, we, once again, call on the department to urgently assist these schools and will continue to monitor their response.
In terms of broader progress, the department’s latest report submitted in November 2024 indicated that there were 12 Priority 1 schools with pit toilets only, still in the “construction” phase that would be completed in December 2024. The report also indicated that there are eight schools left that will be completed in March 2025. As the 31 March deadline draws near, SECTION27 will continue monitoring the implementation of the LDoE’s plan and will continue to address these challenges with the LDoE to ensure that learners in Limpopo receive the long-awaited dignified sanitation that they deserve.
We also call on the public, media and other stakeholders to join us in holding LDoE accountable by using the tool to track progress to eradicating all school pit toilets in Limpopo.
For media queries contact: Pearl Nicodemus | nicodemus@section27.org.za | 082 298 2636
The European Union funding supports SECTION27 and the Centre for Child Law’s work in enhancing accountability in health and education in South Africa.
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