Pit toilet nightmare at Eastern Cape school solved thanks to civil society

Children at Mampondo Primary School in Sicwenza outside Flagstaff need no longer fear falling into a pit toilet.

In October, GroundUp reported that a six-year-old had to be rescued after falling into one of the old pits toilets in August, and how in June an eight-year-old had also fallen in.

Now the school has received a dozen low-flush aerobic sanitation system toilets – five for girls, five for boys and two for teachers.

The toilets were donated and delivered by the Save Our Schools Non-Profit Organization (Sosnop) in partnership with Amalooloo and Concor infrastructure.

Sosnop CEO Shelly Humphreys said that after reading the GroundUp article she contacted the principal and asked if they could help.

Inspectors were sent to check the condition of the old toilets and that’s when they knew that they definitely needed to help.

“We are so thankful that we were able to bring help before a learner dies from these toilets, though it must have been a terrible trauma for those who were rescued in these pits before,” Humphreys said.

At the handover ceremony, principal Goodness Nokulunga Manci-Mvulana said: “We really appreciate the work that you have done for the community of Mampondo and bringing back the dignity of our school from the teachers to the learners.”

She said the conditions of the old toilets had disrupted teaching and learning because teachers had to supervise use of the toilets.

School governing body member Feziwe Boko said they will now sleep peacefully, and she hopes that now that they have new toilets, more parents will enrol their children at the school, since this had been an issue in the past. DM

First published by GroundUp.