South Africa, we kept our promise: The pit toilet backlog has been eradicated

This achievement does not belong to a single individual, it belongs to millions of South Africans. It belongs to pupils who can now attend school without fear, it belongs to teachers who no longer have to work under undignified conditions, to parents who can now send their children to school with greater peace of mind.

Above all, this achievement belongs to the children whose lives were tragically lost because the government failed to provide safe sanitation. It belongs to Michael Komape, Lumka Mkhethwa, Langalam Viki and every child whose death compelled our nation to act. Their names must remain at the heart of this achievement – not as symbols of tragedy alone, but as a permanent reminder of the duty the government carries to protect the dignity and safety of every pupil.

When the national Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) audit was completed in 2018, the challenge appeared overwhelming. A total of 3,372 schools were identified as requiring urgent sanitation intervention. The scale of the backlog reflected decades of inequality, underinvestment and neglect. Eliminating every one of those unsafe facilities was a daunting task – some of these schools are in deep rural areas with roads that wash away when it rains, some are in communities that have no municipal water reticulation. The challenges were formidable.

But where there is political will to confront difficult problems directly, there will always be a way. Through sustained implementation, stronger oversight and cooperation across the system, we found a way to replace unsafe pit toilets at all schools identified in the 2018 audit.

As a result, across our country, more than three million pupils now attend schools with modern sanitation facilities that did not exist before. More than 48,000 teachers now work in healthier, safer and more dignified environments. Thousands of communities have witnessed improvements that extend beyond infrastructure – they have seen the restoration of dignity, safety and hope. That is the true impact of this programme.

During my visits to schools across South Africa over the past two years, I have heard from pupils and teachers whose lives have been transformed by the SAFE pit toilet eradication projects. One of them is Ayama Willem from LF May Primary School in King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape. In a video shared with the department, she recalled that pupils would sometimes find snakes in the old pit toilets, and that she was afraid whenever she needed to use the bathroom. Today, she speaks instead about clean, safe toilets and the freedom to focus on learning rather than fear.

At Dimbaza Primary School, also in the Eastern Cape, the principal, Ms Anelise Fani, shared how years of relying on unsafe and unhygienic sanitation had been deeply frustrating for educators. The new facilities, she said, have restored dignity to teachers who dedicate their lives to educating our children. Those testimonials reminded me that this programme has always been about people before infrastructure.

As I reflect on the work of the department since assuming office as minister of basic education, this achievement represents the kind of government I believe South Africans deserve: a government that measures success by outcomes rather than inputs, and by promises kept rather than promises made.

When I came into office, I identified five key priorities for the seventh administration: expanding access to early childhood development, strengthening literacy and numeracy, supporting teachers, improving school infrastructure and safety, and advancing inclusive education. My focus has been to drive steady, measurable progress against each of these priorities every day.

Completing the SAFE initiative backlog stands as tangible proof that a persistent and strategically focused government can deliver meaningful change in the lives of ordinary South Africans.

Completing the SAFE initiative does not mean that every pit toilet structure has disappeared from South Africa. It means that every school identified during the 2018 national audit has received safe and appropriate sanitation facilities. There may be schools where sanitation challenges emerged after the 2018 audit. There may be schools that were unintentionally missed in the original survey. There may also be schools where old pit toilet structures have been retained as back-ups because of unreliable water supply, even after new facilities were provided.

These realities do not diminish the achievement, but they do define the next phase of work. Provincial education departments must identify and respond urgently to any remaining sanitation risks. The national Department of Basic Education will continue to provide technical and planning oversight and support to provinces as they fulfil their infrastructure delivery responsibilities.

South Africa still faces a school infrastructure backlog exceeding R120-billion. Thousands of schools still require additional classrooms, libraries, laboratories, fencing and other essential facilities. Climate-related disasters and vandalism continue to divert scarce resources away from new infrastructure towards rebuilding what has already been constructed.

These challenges demand continued partnership between national and provincial government, the private sector, civil society and the communities that rely on our schools. We need innovative financing, better maintenance, stronger oversight and active community protection of school infrastructure.

The challenges still exist but with the 100% eradication of pit toilets on the 2018 SAFE initiative backlog, South Africa has every reason to celebrate.

History will record that our country refused to accept dangerous pit toilets as a permanent feature of rural education. It will record that we confronted one of the greatest infrastructure challenges in democratic South Africa and we overcame it. Most importantly, history will record that when it came to protecting the dignity and safety of our children, we chose action.

Every child deserves to learn in a school that reflects their worth. The eradication of the SAFE pit toilet backlog is proof that a focused government can deliver meaningful change. It is proof that South Africa can confront difficult problems and solve them. And it is proof that, one school, one community and one promise kept at a time, we are building strong foundations for strong futures. DM