141 South African schools still using dangerous pit latrines as Education Department misses deadline

THE Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube and her department have missed their self-imposed deadline of March 31, 2025, to remove all pit toilets in schools participating in the 2018 Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative.

In an interview with SABC News, Gwarube said that instead, they have set a new goal for July 2025.

"One-hundred-and-forty-one schools continue to use the dangerous structures even after major progress was made. However, 91 out of the 141 is already under construction, with 96 percent of the 3,372 schools included in the initial audit having had their pit latrines replaced." she stated.

Gwarube admitted that the department had fallen four percent short of their goal, despite having nearly achieved complete eradication. The continued use of pit toilets in South African schools is still a grave concern, particularly in light of the numerous tragic events over the years in which children have died using unsafe sanitation facilities.

The department has come under increasing fire for consistently missing deadlines, including those outlined in the minimum uniform norms and standards for public school infrastructure, which were set for 2016 and 2020.

The department has rescheduled the completion of the remaining sanitation upgrades for July 2025 in response to the most recent delay. A new nationwide audit has also been demanded by Gwarube to make sure that no schools were missed in the 2018 count.

The Safe Schools app was introduced in December 2024, and the public has been asked to help with the process by reporting pit toilets.