While government deadlines continue to slide, thousands of South African schoolchildren still face the daily risk of using unsafe and undignified pit toilets. In 2024, this is not just a tragedy — it’s a national failure.
Now, one organisation is stepping up where the system continues to fall short.
Breadline Africa, a non-profit organisation working to improve educational infrastructure, has launched a nationwide campaign to eradicate pit toilets in schools — a silent but deadly legacy of inequality that continues to threaten the safety, health, and dignity of learners across the country.
Despite promises made as far back as 2016, pit toilets remain a grim reality in hundreds — possibly thousands — of South African schools, especially in rural provinces like Limpopo, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga.
These outdated, often crumbling structures pose not just sanitation risks but fatal dangers. In recent years, there have been multiple high-profile tragedies involving children falling into pit latrines. While the Department of Basic Education has committed to eradicating them by 2025, critics warn that without urgent and sustained intervention, that deadline will be missed — again.
The impact goes beyond physical infrastructure.
Poor WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) conditions in schools are closely linked to high absenteeism, especially among girls who don’t have access to menstrual hygiene facilities. Teachers and learners face increased exposure to illness, and the fear of using unsafe toilets affects concentration and psychological well-being.
“Access to a safe, hygienic toilet is a basic human right and a cornerstone of quality education,” says Nyaradzo Mutanha, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at Breadline Africa. “No child should have to risk their life to relieve themselves at school.”
Since 2023, Breadline Africa has replaced pit toilets at 29 schools with the support of private donors, corporates, and development partners. Their efforts are guided by a robust Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) system that tracks real improvements in school environments.
Preliminary data from schools that received new toilet facilities has shown:
- Improved attendance, particularly among girl learners
- A noticeable drop in sanitation-related illnesses
- A reduction in fatal accidents
- Enhanced feelings of dignity, safety, and school pride
“We are seeing a measurable difference,” says Mutanha. “Children are more comfortable and confident. Schools become places of learning again, not danger.”
While Breadline Africa’s efforts are a drop in the bucket, they offer a blueprint for what’s possible when the public, private, and civil sectors work together.
“There’s no excuse for any child in South Africa to still be using a pit latrine in 2024,” says Mutanha. “We need urgent collaboration and funding to finish what was promised nearly a decade ago.”
With the 2025 deadline looming, Breadline Africa is calling on government stakeholders, businesses, and donors to rally behind the Pit Toilet Campaign — and finally flush away this unacceptable remnant of the past.
To find out more or support the campaign, visit www.breadlineafrica.org