NATIONAL NEWS - The Department of Basic Education has reached 100% completion of all pit toilet eradication projects identified through the 2018 Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Initiative audit.
Speaking during a school sanitation visit at Dimbaza Primary School in the Eastern Cape on Monday, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube confirmed that all 3 372 schools identified in the 2018 audit have now been provided with safe and appropriate sanitation facilities.
The achievement marks the completion of one of democratic South Africa’s most significant school infrastructure programmes and honours the memory of children such as Michael Komape, Lumka Mkhethwa and Langalam Viki, whose deaths transformed the national conversation around school sanitation.
Millions of learners benefit from safer schools
The completion of the SAFE Initiative has changed the daily reality for millions of learners and thousands of teachers.
More than three million learners have benefited from safer sanitation facilities, while more than 48 000 teachers now work in healthier and more dignified environments.
Ayama Willem, a learner from LF May Primary School, shared in a video how the new toilets have replaced the fear she once experienced when using unsafe pit toilets where snakes were sometimes found, allowing her to focus on learning instead of worrying about her safety.
At Dimbaza Primary School, teacher Anelise Fani described the previous sanitation facilities as frustrating and discouraging for educators, saying the new facilities have restored dignity to teachers dedicated to educating South Africa’s children.
Minister clarifies remaining sanitation challenges
Gwarube emphasised that the announcement confirms the successful completion of the backlog identified through the 2018 SAFE Initiative audit and does not mean that every pit toilet in the country has been eliminated.
She said some schools may have developed sanitation challenges after the original audit, others may have been unintentionally omitted, while some communities have retained old pit toilet structures despite receiving new facilities.
The Minister stressed that provincial education departments must now identify and urgently address any remaining sanitation challenges.
School infrastructure backlog remains
While celebrating the milestone, Gwarube noted that South Africa still faces a broader school infrastructure backlog exceeding R120 billion, with many schools requiring additional classrooms, libraries, laboratories, fencing and other essential facilities.
She warned that natural disasters, vandalism and constrained provincial budgets continue to place increasing pressure on infrastructure delivery.
Protecting the investment
The Minister said the completion of the SAFE Initiative must now be protected through proper maintenance, community ownership and provincial oversight to ensure the facilities remain safe, clean and fully functional.
She also called on communities to safeguard school infrastructure, reminding South Africans that every classroom, sanitation facility and school preserved is an investment in the country’s future.
“Today we celebrate a remarkable national achievement of eradicating 100% of the pit toilets identified in the SAFE Initiative backlog. Tomorrow, we continue building, maintaining and modernising our schools until every learner, in every province, learns in an environment that reflects the value we place on their future.”
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