Education has become life-threatening for learners in South African rural schools. Remember Michael Komape, the five-year-old boy who drowned in a pit toilet at his school in Limpopo in 2014. This was just after the year 2013 when the Department of Basic Education banned pit latrines at schools. Created a legal responsibility for the department and provincial departments to eradicate pit latrines at schools. I am sorry to say almost a decade later, children still continue to die due to illegal pit latrines in schools.

This is a fact as we have seen how, in 2017 a grade R learner from Limpopo died after he fell and drowned in a Pit Latrine. In 2018 Lumka Mketwa drowned in a pit latrine in her school in the Eastern Cape. In 2023, four-year-old Langalam Viki drowned in a pit latrine toilet in Vaalbank in Eastern Cape and these are just a few names that have come to the news.

 In March 2023, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga shared that the department has identified 3,398 schools countrywide with pit latrine toilets.

I am Nguvu Change leader Yongama Ludwe Zigebe and I am on a mission to ensure that no child loses their life in pursuit of education. I urge you to sign this petition and request the Minister of Education to eradicate pit latrines. 

The Department of Basic Education has committed to eradicating pit latrine toilets at schools by 2025. In 2020, budgets were committed along with private-sector partnerships. The Limpopo High Court even handed down an order in 2021 for the Provincial Basic Education Department to prioritise the eradication of Pit latrines and report to the court every now and then. But the needle to act on the commitments has been very slow. 

For the 2025 commitment, we hardly have 18 months left. There are more than 3000 schools that still have illegal pit latrines that need to be demolished. Sign and share this petition and ask the Speaker of Parliament to urgently table the need to act on the commitment to eradicate pit latrines by 2025 and curb this gross human rights violation.

Your support will ensure that our nation’s children are no longer subjugated to this inhumane, indignifying, indecent violation of human rights. Let us together ensure that our children access their basic human rights without threat to their lives!

#EradicatePitLatrines