The Mpumalanga Department of Education’s (DoE) spokesperson, Gerald Sambo, recently said no school in the province relies solely on pit latrines as a form of sanitation.

Pit latrine systems at some schools have not yet been demolished, but, due to water challenges, the sanitation system has been elevated by alternatives.

“While some schools have access to water for waterborne toilets, some, especially in the most rural areas, have no access to water at all. Therefore, the pit latrine sanitation system cannot be demolished entirely. However, the department has assisted schools without, or with limited access to water, with alternative systems such as Enviro Loo toilets. We can gladly say that there is no school that relies only on pit toilets. We want to ensure the dignity of learners and teachers, and know they are in a safe environment that encourages better hygiene and sanitation,” he said.

He said the lack of access to water in most areas of the province is exacerbating the challenge of the eradication of pit latrines.

“We have come up with solutions such as installing boreholes at some schools, but they eventually run dry. We are working with the different local municipalities in the province to accelerate water access so that schools have running water to elevate the progress of the Sanitation Appropriate for Education [Safe] initiative,” Sambo said.

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He said this in a response to a media query regarding the March 31 deadline to eradicate pit toilets, set by the minister of basic education, Siviwe Gwarube.
In August 2024, the provincial DoE had set aside R80m for pit latrine eradication at 71 schools, also by March 31.

Gwarube confirmed the deadline in her ministerial reply to the President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State Of the Nation Address on February 11.

“Quality teaching and learning cannot take place if our learning environments lack dignity and are unsafe. This is why we remain resolute in eradicating all pit toilets that were identified in 2018, by March. While this is proving to be incredibly challenging, it is a moral imperative we cannot give up on. To improve accountability at a provincial level for the roll-out of school infrastructure, we will review the regulations relating to minimum uniform norms and standards for public school infrastructure,” Gwarube said.