Mpumalanga’s Department of Basic Education has made significant progress in reducing the number of pit latrines in the province.
This was heard at the Human Rights Commission sitting that was held in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, on Monday.
The session was attended by Nguvu Change Leaders and the Secretary-General of the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Yongama Zigebe.
The primary focus of this engagement was to review the progress made by the department in eradicating pit latrines in schools across the province.
According to Zigebe, the province had a staggering total of 549 schools using pit latrines last year, which has been reduced significantly by the current administration.
“As of today, we are motivated by the significant progress reported: only 71 schools still rely on these unsafe facilities. Importantly, construction of proper ablution facilities has commenced in many of these remaining schools,” the UDM secretary general said.
He, however, said despite these developments, there were several challenges that persisted as water supply was still an issue, forcing both children and teachers to revert to using pit latrines. He added that in certain cases, the new toilets were not working optimally.
Zigebe said this led to School Governing Bodies (SGBs) reconstructing pit toilets as a temporary measure.
“Some schools have retained pit toilets to dispose of sanitary towels due to the lack of sanitary bins, resulting in continued use of these outdated facilities.
“The Mpumalanga Department of Basic Education is actively addressing these issues to mitigate the health and safety risks posed by the existing pit latrines.
“We commend the department for the strides made thus far and urge continued efforts to ensure that all schools in Mpumalanga have access to safe and hygienic sanitation facilities,” he concluded.
The Star