Broken Promises: La Rochelle Primary's two-year battle for functioning toilets
EDUCATION
For more than two years, over 1,000 learners at La Rochelle Primary School in Johannesburg have been forced to endure unsafe and undignified sanitation conditions, as broken toilets remain unfixed and promises of relief continue to fall flat.
According to Sergio Isa Dos Santos, the Democratic Alliance DA’s Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, the crisis at the school has gone beyond sanitation failures, now completely disrupting teaching and learning and depriving learners of their constitutional right to quality education.
“This situation is unacceptable and must be resolved urgently so that learners can return to a safe, dignified environment conducive to learning,” said Dos Santos.
He revealed that the school’s main restrooms have been unusable for the past two years, with no clear indication from the GDE on when repairs will be made. In the meantime, the department has resorted to providing mobile “pit toilets” for both learners and educators.
Dos Santos further stated that parents have long raised concerns over the unhygienic state of the mobile toilets, which often remain unclean for days.
“It is alleged that some children have even developed infections as a result,” he said.
Dos Santos also explained that during a recent DA oversight visit to the school, parents were assured by an official from the MEC’s office on September 3 that flushable toilets would be delivered.
“To date, not a single unit has been provided, and learners are losing valuable schooling time due to the department’s broken promises,” he said.
Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed that the toilets at La Rochelle Primary School have been refurbished. He said the main challenge now is connecting the facilities to the bulk services, a process that has already begun.
As a temporary solution, the department has provided chemical toilets for learners, which are serviced twice a week. Educators are using toilets in the school hall that have been temporarily connected to the septic tank.
“This challenge should be resolved in due course,” Mabona explained, assuring that once the bulk connections are complete, the refurbished ablution facilities will be fully operational.
In April, Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube reported that 141 South African schools were still using unsafe pit latrines, although 91 of these were already under construction. Overall, 96% of the 3,372 schools identified in the initial audit have had their pit toilets replaced.
The Star