Grade two pupil unhurt after being trapped in pit toilet

The Department of Education Limpopo has dismissed reports that a pupil fell into a pit toilet at Lefatane Primary School in Ga-Makgato.

The department said it learned of an incident where a grade 2 pupil was trapped in the toilet’s manhole cover − a lid cover positioned behind the toilet.

Clarity

Limpopo education acting spokesperson Mosebjane Kgaffe has clarified what happened to the pupil.

“The department would like to put it on record that the learner did not fall into the pit latrine toilet but rather got partially trapped in the Enviro Loo cover outside the toilet, hence no injuries were reported. It is reported that a grade 1 learner saw a fellow learner climbing and jumping from one cover to the other and got trapped in one of the manhole cover.

“The parents of the learner were called to the school regarding the incident and ultimately took the child to the nearest clinic for medical attention. The department can confirm that no injuries were reported,” Kgaffe said.

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Pit toilets

Meanwhile, the eradication of pit toilets and inappropriate school structures will be among issues dominating proceedings next month when Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube convenes an important meeting with her provincial counterparts.

In a wide-ranging interview on Thursday, Gwarube said she was determined to “restore dignity in South African schools” when meeting education MECs from all nine provinces for the first time.

The Human Rights Commission launched an investigation into the tragic death of three-year-old Unecebo Mboteni, who died on 18 April after falling into a pit toilet in the Eastern Cape’s Mdantsane township.

South Africa has an estimated 23 000 pit toilets in public schools.

Gwarube also said she was concerned about the country’s pass rate.

“Many South Africans are rightly concerned about our pass rate and the number of pupils who stay in the system – from grade R to matric.

“This is something this current administration under my leadership will investigate,” she said.

Additional reporting by Brian Sokutu

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