UDM disappointed as Education Department fails to meet pit toilet eradication deadline
Statement by Yongama Zigebe, Councillor in the City of Johannesburg for the United Democratic Movement and Chairperson of the S79 Committee on Gender, Youth and People with Disabilities
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) expresses deep disappointment over the Department of Basic Education's failure to meet its deadline for eradicating pit latrines in schools. This failure is not just a missed deadline, but an extension of a health hazard to our children.
The deadline, set for 31 March 2025, has once again come and gone, leaving thousands of learners exposed to unsafe and undignified conditions.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube recently claimed that 93% of identified pit latrines have been eradicated. However, civil society organisations, including SECTION27, have raised serious concerns that the 2018 audit used to track progress is outdated, and many schools still operating with pit toilets have been overlooked.
This failure is not just a missed deadline, it is an extension of a public health crisis and a health hazard to the lives of our children. The tragic case of a five-year-old learner who drowned in a pit latrine in 2014 in the Eastern Cape, should have been a wake-up call, instead, after years of court battles and repeated extensions, the government continues to move at an unacceptably slow pace.
Reports from civil society indicate that many schools, particularly in rural provinces like Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, remain without proper sanitation. Some schools rely on unsafe and unhygienic mobile toilets, which are not a viable solution.
In some cases, there are not enough toilets to accommodate all learners, and they are not properly maintained.
According to media reports, almost 11,000 schools across the country still lack a single flushing toilet, and hundreds of schools have no running water. Learners are forced to use unsafe facilities creating serious hygiene and health risks. The government's continued failure to address this crisis with urgency is unacceptable.
The UDM demands the following immediate actions:
• A new, transparent national audit of all schools still relying on pit latrines, with the results made publicly available.
• A clear, time-bound implementation plan for eradicating all remaining pit latrines, with no further extensions.
• An accountability mechanism to track progress and ensure that responsible officials are held accountable for ongoing failures.
• Increased collaboration between government, civil society and the private sector to accelerate sanitation projects.
South Africa cannot afford another empty promise. The dignity and safety of our children must come first. The UDM will continue to monitor this issue closely and hold the government accountable for ensuring that no learner is forced to endure these inhumane conditions any longer.
