Inadequate sanitation facilities in South Africa, particularly in schools, highlight an urgent need for intervention, says WaterCAN, an initiative of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA).
According to WaterCAN’s Executive Manager, Dr Ferrial Adam, the prevalence of pit latrines, the failing state of wastewater treatment, and children’s safety risks in schools still reliant on pit latrines is a national crisis demanding immediate action. She emphasises government’s responsibility in securing dignified and safe sanitation.
“The tragic instances of children falling into pit latrines and losing their lives expose the urgent need to replace these outdated sanitation systems. This is unacceptable and an attack on people’s basic dignity,” says Adam.
According to the Department of Basic Education, almost 11 000 schools in the country are without a single flushing toilet and 3 398 schools still use pit latrines even though the government promised to replace all pit toilets by 31 March this year. At least 25% of schools do not have access to running water.
WaterCAN welcomes the announcement yesterday (Monday 18 November) by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube that the backlog in eradicating pit toilets at schools will finally be dealt with by 2025. “We also look forward to her impending announcement on a monitoring tool that will be updated with live data to see which schools are still stuck with pit toilets.”
Adam also welcomed the Minister of Public Works Dean McPherson’s announcement, that his department will assist with proper flush toilets at schools. In his announcement, McPherson said that provinces sometimes returned funds to National Treasury due to a lack of spending on infrastructure projects. “It is completely shocking that money is returned unspent while schools don’t have toilets,” says Adam.
November 19, recognised globally as World Toilet Day, shines a light on the crucial link between sanitation and public health. Established by the United Nations, World Toilet Day underlines the importance of access to clean, safe toilets for all and serves as a call to action.
Globally, more than 3.6 billion people live without access to safely managed sanitation, leading to severe health risks and environmental pollution. The day promotes the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which aims to ensure clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.
However, South Africa’s progress toward this goal has been hindered by several factors, including municipal failures and inadequate infrastructure.
The urgency of South Africa’s sanitation crisis is evident in the state of its wastewater treatment systems and pit latrine prevalence.
Furthermore, the 2023 Green Drop Progress Assessment report focusing on wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) found that 64% of WWTW are at high or critical risk of discharging partially treated or untreated water into rivers and the environment. The number of WWTWs in the high- and critical-risk categories have both increased since 2013, posing severe environmental and health risks, such as the recent cholera outbreaks linked to wastewater pollution of water resources.
“These deficiencies not only violate citizens’ basic rights but also pose severe risks to public health, agriculture, and biodiversity,” says Adam.
WaterCAN has been at the frontlines, advocating for clean water and safe sanitation through community-led testing and awareness initiatives. Utilising WaterCAN’s specifically designed iLAB Citizen Science Testing Kits, nearly 2,000 volunteers have conducted water tests across the country since 2022. Their findings show alarmingly high levels of E. coli in rivers and coastal areas, a clear indicator of failing sewage treatment systems. Elevated E. coli levels indicate the presence of human and animal waste.
“The government must take immediate, meaningful action to overhaul our wastewater infrastructure and address the sanitation issues in schools. Failing to act is a serious neglect of duty and should be treated as criminal,” Adam says.
WaterCAN argues that the persistent inadequacy in water treatment and sanitation infrastructure is not merely an issue of poor service delivery but a human rights crisis impacting children, families, and communities across the country.
“As South Africa joins the world in observing World Toilet Day, WaterCAN calls for serious introspection rather than celebration. We urge the government to uphold its promises and prioritise sanitation infrastructure, especially in schools. According to the UN, the effects of poor sanitation reach far beyond health issues; they perpetuate poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation,” Adam warns.