Angry parents disrupted teaching and learning after removing their children from a rural school with exposed pit toilets.
Boikhutso Primary School in Indermark village, near Bochum in Limpopo, has six pit toilets with only three covered with corrugated zinc.
Some parents have described the situation as disgusting and inhumane as it takes away the dignity of their children who had to relieve themselves in the open.
Chairperson of the school governing body Samuel Moshapo said for the past six years, they have been pleading with the department of education to build decent toilets.
He said the school and toilets were built by the apartheid government in 1979. Boikhutso has 367 pupils – 199 girls and 168 boys – who have to share the toilets.
Nine teachers also share two pit toilets with a cracked floor.
"What the department is doing is very disgusting and inhumane. No person deserves to use an exposed pit toilets in this democratic [country]," Moshapo said.
"We used every channel available to communicate with the department to build new toilets, but no response was given. Imagine during rainy days, it means children have to use those three shacks because they are covered."
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On Monday, parents sent back four temporary toilets brought by the department, saying they were not enough.
Parent Hilda Ramokotjo said they removed their children yesterday because those toilets are not fit to be used by people.
"We are worried about the safety of our children. We know the story of Michael Komape who fell and died in a pit toilet afew years ago, hence we reject the school to continue in that manner," she said.
Venny Makhura, who shared the pictures on social media, told Sowetan that they have held several meetings as parents over the issue of toilets.
"We resolved that the department should give a date as to when are they going to build new toilets. We are doing this to protect the lives of our children," he said.
Moshapo said the department delivered eight mobile toilets yesterday as a temporary measure, but the school still needs more.
Provincial education spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene said Boikhutso Primary is one the schools that were identified to have sanitation problems last year.
"They were provided with chemical mobile toilets for use as a temporary measure while waiting for construction of new ablution facilities. The arrangement is continuing this year with delivery of eight mobile toilets on Wednesday," she said.
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