Siphelele Nketo
A MAJOR initiative by corporate partners to eradicate unsafe pit toilets in public schools was observed in one of the rural schools of the Eastern Cape in Lusikisiki.
This was after the education non-profit, WeSolve4x Foundation, announced the massive infrastructure intervention aimed at replacing hazardous pit latrines in Eastern Cape schools with safe, dignified sanitation facilities.
WeSolve4x, SOS NPO and Old Mutual Insure spearhead infrastructure drives to eradicate hazardous pit toilets in Eastern Cape schools.
On Thursday, May 14, the programme brought much relief to school learners of Babheke Primary School in the rural village of Jambeni at the rollout ceremony of new, safer toilets.
The modern facilities form part of restoring dignity to both teachers and learners. Acting school Principal Bukeka Rasonti said that the school previously used five pit toilets for Grade R to Grade 7 learners and teachers. She said there were no toilets at the school when she arrived in 2002, and the children used bushes to relieve themselves.
Three of the pit toilets were built in 2004 and the other two in 2025.
“The use of pit toilets was not safe, and as a result boy learners had not used them,” she said, adding that the new facilities will retain the dignity of learners and teachers.
The initiative was born out of a harrowing incident at a local school in which WeSolve4x CEO Tsietsi Ngobese witnessed a learner fall into a pit toilet. Ngobese had been visiting the school to launch a mathematics programme at the time. This event served as a critical turning point for the foundation, leading to a dedicated focus on urgent sanitation intervention across the province.
“No child should have to risk their life for a basic human right like sanitation,” Ngobese said, adding that when he saw that child fall, he realised that they could not teach mathematics to children who were terrified of the very facilities they used during their break. He called on stakeholders to join in this mission to uplift school learners.
Shelley Humphreys, the CEO of SOS NPO and the Out of the Blue programmes, has been advocating for safe water access and dignified sanitation in schools for the past decade in South Africa.
“We have been striving for a collective collaboration across public and private partnerships to tackle the water and sanitation crisis across South Africa. Education and protection of our children are fundamental for a bright and healthy future. We are always very proud to be working alongside WeSolve4x and corporate partners who care and commit to immediate action,” Humphreys concluded.
Meanwhile, the drilling of a borehole, funded by the Kathy Miller Foundation, was scheduled to start on May 15.
