Willowvale, Eastern Cape – The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has raised alarm over dire sanitation conditions at Upper Dadamba Primary School in Willowvale, where outdated pit latrines remain in use more than 30 years after installation.
In a letter addressed to Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, UDM Councillor Yongama Zigebe detailed the unsafe and unhygienic conditions at the school, calling for immediate government intervention.
“The current pit toilets at Upper Dadamba Primary School have been in use since 1993. This is not only inconvenient and undignified but a serious public health hazard,” said Zigebe.
Teachers at the school are reportedly forced to seek restroom access from nearby homes. In one alarming incident, a teacher was allegedly bitten by a snake while using the school’s dilapidated facilities—a moment captured in an SABC News report.
The school has been excluded from national pit latrine eradication efforts, despite repeated pleas from the community. In partnership with the Nguvu Collective, the UDM presented this case to Parliament in 2023 and supported a Change.org petition with over 5,000 signatures.
“Without urgent intervention, these conditions will continue to jeopardise the health, safety, and dignity of both students and teachers,” Zigebe wrote. “Safe and sanitary toilets are a basic human right, not a privilege.”
The UDM reiterated that the lack of clean, functional toilets is contributing to the spread of diseases like cholera and dysentery among learners, and negatively affecting education outcomes.
The Department of Basic Education has yet to publicly respond to the concerns raised regarding Upper Dadamba.
