Another learner falls into a pit toilet

BAKENBERG - A Grade 5 learner at a school in Bakenberg, Mokopane, has fallen into a pit toilet, the Democratic Alliance (DA) reports.
This is the second such incident in Limpopo – in January a Grade 0 learner died after falling into a pit toilet at a school outside Seshego, Polokwane.
Luckily this time the learner could be treated at a mobile clinic, says the DA's Stephen Mbedzi. He added that the incident follows an oversight visit to the school by the party.
The DA has reportedly written to the acting Limpopo MEC for education, Jerry Ndou, to demand a thorough investigation into the state of sanitation at the school.
“It is unacceptable that learners are forced to use hazardous ablution facilities, with risk of injury or serious infection,” he said, adding that the school involved had only four toilets for boys and four for girls, yet it had 530 learners.
This is a serious problem across Limpopo where 48,6% of school learners use pit-latrines during their school days.
This unfortunate incident follows Premier Stan Mathabatha’s commitment in his State of the Province Address last week that government will eradicate inappro-priate sanitation facilities and unsafe school infrastructure.