Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has unveiled the Safe Schools App, a technological solution designed to tackle one of the most urgent issues in South African schools – the eradication of pit toilets.
The app was unveiled to the media in Tshwane on Monday afternoon during a briefing hosted by the department.
The Safe Schools App, developed and donated by Vodacom South Africa, is a tool aimed at promoting accountability and transparency in addressing the pressing challenge.
“The Safe Schools App is more than just an application; it is a bold statement of our resolve to eliminate unsafe sanitation facilities in schools and to do so with transparency, efficiency and accountability,” Gwarube said.
Strategic objectives
The Minister outlined three strategic objectives for the app.
In the short-term, it will provide real-time monitoring of the eradication of pit toilets. The app features a dynamic heat map that tracks progress on the removal of pit latrines nationwide. This feature ensures that government has access to real-time information about its efforts on the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (Safe) backlog. It also highlights areas requiring urgent attention, ensuring that indeed, no child is left behind.
In the medium-term, the app will enable crowdsourcing of data to fill existing gaps in information about sanitation facilities across the country.
In the long-term, the department will roll out the use of the app to monitor other key programmes.
Tracking other initiatives
Beyond sanitation, the app has the potential to serve as a key platform to track other critical departmental initiatives, including the National School Nutrition Programme, infrastructure projects, and the delivery of learning and teaching materials.
Gwarube said the launch of the app represented a significant step forward in the department’s strategy to leverage technological partnerships to improve education outcomes in the country.
“In today’s world, technology is not just a tool but a necessity. It allows us to enhance accountability, optimise resource allocation, and improve efficiency across the education system.
“The Safe Schools App is a prime example of how technology can be harnessed to address societal challenges that seemed too big and too complex for us to resolve,” she said.
Mechanism for accountability
Gwarube said accountability was at the heart of the Safe Schools App.
By providing a clear and real-time view of progress, the app ensures that everyone involved – government officials, implementing agents, school administrators, and communities – remain focused on achieving the goal of eradicating the backlog of Safe pit toilets by the 31 March 2025 deadline.
“This tool will enable us to identify and respond to delays, allocate resources where they are needed most, and celebrate successes along the way. It is a game-changer in how we approach infrastructure challenges, and I believe it sets a new standard for accountability and for transparency in public service delivery,” Gwarube said.
The Minister said the eradication of pit toilets speaks to the dignity, safety, and well-being of children in schools.
“It is about ensuring that every learner, regardless of their background or location, has access to toilets that reflect the values of a democratic and inclusive society,” she said.
She said the urgency of the task cannot be overstated because unsafe sanitation facilities not only compromise the health and safety of learners but also impact their ability to focus on their studies and achieve their full potential.
The Minister urged every parent, teacher and concerned citizen to report pit toilets to www.safeschools.gov.za.
“This is a collective effort, and every contribution counts. By working together, we can ensure that no child has to endure unsafe or undignified learning conditions,” Gwarube said.
Tragic losses
Pit latrines in South Africa have claimed the lives of several children, highlighting the urgent need for improved sanitation in schools.
Tragic incidents include the case of Michael Komape, a five-year-old boy who drowned in a pit toilet at his school in Limpopo in 2014. His death brought national and international attention to the dire state of sanitation infrastructure in rural schools.
In 2018, Lumka Mketwa, a five-year-old girl from the Eastern Cape, died after falling into a pit latrine at her school.
The South African Human Rights Commission and other organisations have called for accountability and the urgent eradication of pit latrines, emphasising the role of government and private sector partnerships in addressing this critical issue.
