Ndlambe’s Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus visited Siyazama Educare Centre in New Rest informal settlement last week Tuesday, March 21 to pledge to paint the toilets and garner donations of educational books for the pre-school.
This was in line with the party’s national campaign to eradicate school pit toilets countrywide. “The drowning of our children in pit toilets goes far beyond a human rights violation – it is a horror that no South African should ever be forced to contemplate,” said DA leader John Steenhuisen.
When they launched their 2-point plan on Human Rights Day, the DA said they would engage civil society organisations, public advocacy groups, and non-governmental organisations in the education sector to help it build a case against the government that will force the government to eradicate pit latrines and erect proper sanitation facilities for all school children in South Africa.
According to a 2021 report by the SA Human Rights Commission, more than 3,000 schools still use pit toilets in poor schools in South Africa. Siyazama Educare Centre is one of those pre-school in the Eastern Cape that uses pit latrine toilets.
Siyazama Educare Centre was built by the community in January 2004 and it is now a registered as non-profit organization (NPO) catering for 51 children between the ages of one to five years, with mostly unemployed parents, Principal Bulelwa Puwe told TOTT. The Pre-School is funded by the Department of Social Development, but now is under the Department of Basic Education since the move in function.
Puwe said they monitor the children when they need to use the toilets. “The school has a daily program to monitor the children when they need to use the toilet. We have a toilet routine when the children go to the toilet. The teacher watches them until they finish and when it’s outdoor play time the teachers are outside with the children,” she said.
Caucus leader, Skura Venene said they had visited the crèche a week prior to the oversight to look at the condition of the toilets. “We are not happy about the condition of the toilets and therefore as this caucus we have decided to play a contributing role by making sure that we’ll be painting the inside of the toilets and making sure that the door we saw, we commit to make a plan maybe to refurbish it or change the door,” he said. Venene reiterated the party’s national message for the eradication of pit latrine toilets. “All the councilors here today are gathered to protect children’s rights, [calling] for their safety and hygiene. Venene said they will also ensure that the back of the septic tank is covered to illuminate risks. For the duration of the campaign, the DA said they would be conducting oversight visits to other schools who still use pit latrine toilets in the area.
Ward 10 councilor, Nadine Haynes said she would also be approaching the Rotary club for a donation of educational books for the kids. The DA committed to the delivery of their pledges to the crèche in April.
