Safe Toilets Bring Hope, Dignity to Learners

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will today hand over 42 toilets to the Ubuhle-Bemvelo Primary School, in Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal.The hand over of toilets forms part of a successful public-private partnership between the department and Amalooloo to address sanitation in schools in line with the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative.

Launched on 14 August 2018 by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the SAFE initiative aims to address school sanitation challenges faced by some of the country's poorest schools by leveraging on public-private partnerships. Amalooloo is one of the companies that pledged support and built the 42 toilets at Ubuhle-Bemvelo Primary.

The school, which has 1090 learners, received a donation of 18 toilets for the boys, 18 for the girls and 6 for the Grade Rs. "The company demolished and provided a temporary solution at the school during the construction of the newly erected toilets.

"The construction is now complete and the toilets are ready for use," said the department. According to the DBE, since the launch of the SAFE initiative, 787 schools have been provided with safe, age- and grade-appropriate sanitation facilities.

A further 841 schools are in the pipeline and are either in planning, design or construction stages. "It is important to remember that the eradication of pit-latrines did not start with the launch of the SAFE initiative.

The...