#ReportBack: School pit toilets still widespread

The lack of flush toilets and access to clean water sources continue to plague rural schools across SA.

As part of an ongoing #EndSchoolPitToilets campaign from the Democratic Alliance (DA), national party representatives recently visited KwaDukuza schools.

The DA’s shadow education minister, Baxolile Nodada, and shadow education deputy-minister, Marina van Zyl, joined provincial legislature member Imran Keeka and local councillors Krsna Sing and Thulisile Mthethwa for the visit.

At Ensikeni Primary School, inland of KwaDukuza, the principal is forced to fetch water from a nearby river for staff and pupils to drink, wash their hands and use for cooking.

The school was built in 1995 without the necessary infrastructure and a borehole donated in 2020 soon broke down.

Letters to the education department pleading for intervention remain unanswered and Ensikeni’s 330 pupils now have to relieve themselves in the bushes.

The situation is much the same at the Prospect Farm Primary School near Ashville, which was built in the 1950s.

Fourteen flush toilets exist on site, but they are locked and unusable as a result of a broken borehole.

The 390 pupils and staff share two pit toilets.

#EndSchoolPitToilets began in the Eastern Cape and the party has since visited 65 schools across four provinces, 21 of which were in KwaZulu-Natal (excluding the recent visit).

Of the 65 schools visited, just five did not have any pit toilets, while only 35 had a water source close to the toilets where pupils could wash their hands.

Eighteen of the schools indicated they had been contacted by the education department with regard to eradicating pit toilets.

Follow The North Coast Courier on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube for breaking news

Telegram Broadcast Service: https://t.me/joinchat/yJULuN8NaCs5OGM0