Rivubye High School in Valdezia has been relying on mobile toilets for more than three years, with the Limpopo Department of Education spending R19,200 a month on temporary sanitation facilities while permanent toilets remain unbuilt.
The school’s pit latrines were demolished in 2023. Since then, the school has relied on eight mobile toilets and a number of ageing toilet blocks to serve its 846 learners and staff members. Concerns have been raised about the condition of the facilities and their impact on learners’ health and dignity.
“What is happening at the school is inhumane because learners are complaining that the toilets are not clean, despite being serviced once a week,” said Lucky Manthonsi, chairperson of the Valdezia Movement for Change.
“The department has spent close to R1 million on these mobile toilets. Our concern is the safety of learners. Some male learners relieve themselves in nearby bushes. We also cannot ignore the fact that these toilets use chemicals, which could become a health hazard in the long run,” he said.
On 17 March last year, the Public Service Association (PSA) revisited the school and found little progress in addressing the sanitation crisis. The PSA’s Limpopo organisational officer, Lawrence Muvhango, raised concerns about poor planning and possible financial mismanagement.
The PSA called on the MEC for Education to take urgent action, saying that continued reliance on temporary sanitation measures undermined the rights and dignity of learners and educators.
In a media statement issued on Tuesday, 9 June, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said the mobile toilets had been intended as a temporary solution but had effectively become a long-term arrangement.
DA Limpopo spokesperson for Education Jacques Smalle said the sanitation facilities at the school remained inadequate and in poor condition. He said hygiene standards were a concern, with reports that the mobile toilets did not have handwashing basins and were serviced only once a week. He added that some of the remaining facilities lacked taps, toilet seats and functioning doors.
The situation has also drawn attention from the Department of Employment and Labour, which reportedly issued a notice following an inspection that identified infrastructure-related contraventions. Smalle said the continued reliance on temporary toilets reflected broader challenges in managing school infrastructure in Limpopo.
“Learners and teachers should not have to function in conditions that endanger their health, compromise their dignity and are unsafe,” he said.
The DA has called on MEC for Education Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya to intervene urgently and ensure that permanent sanitation facilities are provided at the school.
On Wednesday morning, Limpopo Department of Education spokesperson Mike Maringa responded to media queries regarding the replacement of the temporary toilets with permanent facilities.
“The project has been allocated to the Mvula Trust, which has been finalising its administrative processes. Those processes have now been completed. The project has been brought to us for concurrence, and we have given the green light for it to be advertised next month. We anticipate that a contractor will be on site by August, along with contractors for 15 other projects. At this stage, however, we cannot indicate how much funding will be utilised for the project,” Maringa said.
“I can also confirm that the provision of mobile toilets is handled through the quotation system. If the lowest bidder quoted R19,200, then that would be the amount paid, as this is how the procurement process works,” Maringa added.