Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube is facing criticism for her claims of successfully eradicating pit toilets at schools after the completion of a government programme aimed to wipe out pit latrines four years ago.
Gwarube had announced earlier this week that the department completed all the pit toilet eradication projects identified through the 2018 Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative.
She confirmed that all 3,372 schools identified eight years ago have been provided with safe and appropriate sanitation facilities.
“The achievement marks the completion of one of democratic South Africa’s most consequential school infrastructure programmes and honours the memory of children such as Michael Komane, Lumka Mkhethwa, and Langalam Viki, whose deaths changed the national conversation on school sanitation forever,” she said.
