New Toilets Bring Relief to Zakhele Primary School After Pit Toilet Incident - Envirosan

Learners and staff at Zakhele Primary School in Upper Tongaat are celebrating the installation of 18 new toilets, unveiled last week, bringing much-needed relief to the school community.

The upgrade comes six months after a Grade 5 learner narrowly escaped death when she fell through a concrete slab into a pit toilet in September last year. The learner was rescued by the school principal and rushed to a nearby clinic with serious injuries. Thankfully, she survived the traumatic incident.

At the time, the school had no alternative facilities and was forced to continue using eight ageing pit toilets that posed a daily risk to its 250 learners. The toilets had cracked walls, unstable flooring and leaking roofs, making them unsafe and unhygienic. Many pupils and staff avoided using the facilities altogether due to safety concerns.

In response to the urgent need, Breadline Africa partnered with sanitation solutions provider Envirosan, with funding from the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), to replace the dangerous facilities.

The newly installed sanitation block includes low-flush toilets, waterless urinals, two accessible toilets for learners with disabilities, and new handwashing stations designed to improve hygiene and safety at the school.

PIC Head of Corporate Affairs, Deon Botha, said the organisation was pleased to support the initiative.

“Last year, the PIC invested R2.49 million in community support programmes to help build safe and conducive learning environments in underprivileged schools,” said Botha.

He added that the organisation’s corporate social investment initiatives focus on improving public education through projects such as sanitation upgrades, improved learning facilities, socio-economic development programmes, agriculture and environmental sustainability.

Breadline Africa CEO Marion Wagner emphasised the importance of addressing the ongoing sanitation crisis in many South African schools.

“No child should face danger simply to use the toilet at school,” said Wagner.

“Replacing pit toilets removes an immediate risk, but the scale of need across South Africa remains significant.”

For the learners of Zakhele Primary School, however, the new facilities represent a major step forward—offering a safer, cleaner and more dignified environment for their daily school experience.

New Toilets Bring Relief to Zakhele Primary School After Pit Toilet Incident - Envirosan