‘Left Open and Unsafe’: Grade 1 Pupil Falls Into Pit Toilet After Contractor Abandons Site

A Grade 1 pupil has fallen into a pit toilet at a North West schooland education experts are demanding faster action to eliminate dangerous sanitation infrastructure.

The incident occurred at Mogogelo Primary School, where a contractor had been appointed to convert pit toilets to VIP flushing toilets.

The contractor abandoned the site before completion, leaving open inlets and unsafe areas.

What Happened

North West education spokesperson Vuyo Hlubi Mantshule confirmed the details.

“The school did not barricade the construction area as required. Two pupils ran towards the toilets from the school grounds where they had been under supervision.”

“Instead of using the functional ablution area, they proceeded to the rear side of the toilets undergoing renovation as part of the conversion from pit latrines to VIP flushing toilets.”

The result: a child fell into an open pit.

The Experts’ Response

Education specialists say this incident is a stark reminder that dangerous sanitation infrastructure still puts pupils at risk in many schools.

They are calling on authorities to speed up the process of eliminating pit toilets at government schools to prevent unnecessary injuriesand worse.

The Context

South Africa has a long and tragic history of children dying in pit latrines. In 2018, five-year-old Lumka Mkhethwa died after falling into a pit toilet at a school in the Eastern Cape. In 2014, five-year-old Michael Komape drowned in a pit toilet in Limpopo.

Promises have been made. Programmes have been launched. But in 2026, a Grade 1 pupil still fell into an open pit.

The Bottom Line

A contractor fled. The school failed to barricade. A child fell.

This should never have happened. That it didafter years of promises and tragediesis a damning indictment of the pace of change.

How many more children must fall before every pit toilet is replaced?

{Source: Citizen}

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