Exploring the Issues around Rural On-Site School Sanitation in South Africa A preliminary report to the Water Research Commission on Project K5/2381: Evaluating the design of existing rural school sanitation infrastructure and developing a model and guidelines for optimal design by Bobbie Louton1, David Allen Still1, Ian Pearson2, Godfrey Sitholimela3, Tirelo Mphahlele4 and Esther Shaylor5. 1 Partners in Development, 2 Watsup, 3 Bashomi, 4 Tshwane University of Technology and 5 Amanz’abantu WRC Report No. 2381/P/15 ISBN 978-1-4312-0682-7 July 2015 i Obtainable from Water Research Commission Private Bag X03 GEZINA, 0031
[email protected] or download from www.wrc.org.za DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the WRC nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. © Water Research Commission ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Six year old Michael Komape drowned in excrement in a pit latrine at his school in Limpopo in January 2014, just a week after he had started his school career. This unspeakable tragedy reveals how vital it is that our education system ensures that schools have safe and decent sanitation. Reports from educators, families, rights groups and the media indicate that school toilets that are overcrowded, blocked, broken, filthy or have no hand washing facilities are not exceptional. The schools where safety and dignity are at risk still typically reflect the demographic inequalities of apartheid. In its 2014 report, the South African Human Rights Commission stated that: “Those areas which lack water and sanitation mirror apartheid spatial geography.