South Africa Eliminates All Pit Toilets Identified in 2018 School Audit
Although celebrating the completion of the original SAFE Initiative projects, Gwarube stressed that the announcement does not mean every pit toilet in South Africa has disappeared
Devdiscourse News Desk|Pretoria|Updated: 07-07-2026 00:20 IST | Created: 07-07-2026 00:20 IST
- Country:
- South Africa
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South Africa has reached a major milestone in improving school infrastructure after completing every pit toilet replacement project identified under the 2018 Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Initiative. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced that all 3,372 schools included in the national audit now have safe and appropriate sanitation facilities, marking the completion of one of the country’s most significant school infrastructure programmes
SAFE Initiative transforms learning environments
Speaking during a school sanitation visit to Dimbaza Primary School in the Eastern Cape, Gwarube said the completion of the SAFE Initiative represents an important achievement in protecting the dignity, safety and wellbeing of learners and teachers. The programme was launched following the deaths of children including Michael Komape, Lumka Mkhethwa and Langalam Viki, whose tragic accidents exposed the dangers posed by unsafe pit toilets in schools and prompted nationwide calls for urgent action.
According to the Department of Basic Education, the completed programme has improved conditions for more than 3 million learners and over 48,000 teachers, providing safer and healthier school environments across the country. Learner Ayama Willem from LF May Primary School said the new sanitation facilities have replaced the fear of using dangerous pit toilets, where snakes were sometimes found, allowing learners to focus on their education instead of worrying about their safety
Teacher Anelise Fani from Dimbaza Primary School said the previous sanitation facilities had been discouraging for both learners and educators, while the new infrastructure has restored dignity to the school community
Minister says sanitation work must continue
Although celebrating the completion of the original SAFE Initiative projects, Gwarube stressed that the announcement does not mean every pit toilet in South Africa has disappeared. She explained that some schools may have developed sanitation problems after the 2018 audit, others may not have been included in the original assessment, and some communities have retained old pit toilet structures even after receiving new sanitation facilities. The Minister called on provincial education departments to identify and address any remaining sanitation challenges without delay to ensure that all learners have access to safe school facilities.
Focus shifts to maintaining schools and reducing infrastructure backlog
Gwarube said the successful completion of the SAFE Initiative now places greater responsibility on provincial authorities and communities to maintain the new facilities and protect them from vandalism and neglect. She also pointed to South Africa’s wider school infrastructure challenge, noting that the country still faces a backlog exceeding R120 billion, with many schools requiring additional classrooms, libraries, laboratories, fencing and other essential facilities
Natural disasters, vandalism and limited provincial budgets continue to place pressure on infrastructure delivery, she said, making community support increasingly important. Calling on South Africans to safeguard public schools, the Minister said every classroom and sanitation facility protected is an investment in the future of the country’s children. She described the eradication of all pit toilets identified in the 2018 SAFE Initiative as a remarkable national achievement while reaffirming government’s commitment to continue building, maintaining and modernising schools until every learner studies in a safe and dignified environment.
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