Funeral easy loo toilets a norm for a primary school

 

Thabo Sello, Member of the SGB at Rutegang Primary in White City Soweto.

 Nie Cele

 

Hundreds of bellicose parents are up in arm after learning that their children are subjected to inhuman conditions of using rented easy loo toilets popularly used in funerals at their school.

 

This quintile 3 Primary School in White City, Soweto has been using these toilets for almost a year now because the school toilets are blocked and need complete overhaul.

 

According to the principal these transient toilets are paid by theGauteng department of education because the school has exhausted its yearly budget allocation.

 

Cheesed off parents who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity, say these toilets are health hazard and compromise their children’s safety. Another snag is that they can’t complain because they fear that their children will be victimized.

 

Thabo Sello, member of the School Governing Body told this publication that they ve tried several times to alert and engage the department in vain.

 

“These toilets are a time bomb! For interim and progress’ sake its fine but there is danger because these kids play a game of shake and pushing the toilets when there is someone inside.”

 

Sello also bemoaned the scarcity of donors who can rescue the school from this quagmire these days. He also revealed that these makeshifts toilets are serviced by the supplier once every week.

 

“But it’s our solemn duty to clean them inside,” he said.

 

 

 

An attempt to solicit comment from the department’s spokesman, Steve Mabona was fruitless. This publication sent him two sets of questions for unrelated matters, but he opted to respond on the other topic ignoring this one.

 

 

Meanwhile Gauteng department of education prides itself with a clause contained in its latest Annual Performance plan that says “They seek to support and provide proper sanitation and adequate basic services for all our schools. We are working with all spheres of government to develop and implement an integrated plan to expand, manage and maintain infrastructure, also by mobilizing greater levels of private investment in public schools.”

 

 

Khumo Ramulifho, Democratic Alliance shadow Education MEC lashed at these shenanigans.

 

“It is unacceptable for learners to be subjected to inhumane conditions. The department has failed to spend infrastructure budget, there was R3 billion allocated to school infrastructure last year and this year the budget is decreased to R1.7 billion. All this is because the department lacks proper planning, no project management and no political will to create conducive learning and teaching environment.”

 

Did you know?
Rutegang Primary school is over 60 years old.

Has 17 classes and more than 600 learners.

These learners share 16 toilets.

 

When Mahatma Gandhi was in South Africa and in Phoenix Ashram, Durban. He used the trench latrine system. He had a big farm house, about 128 acres. He used to shift the trench latrine from one place to another and after each use, he would fill it with soil.