Makhi Feni, chair of the select committee on education, sciences and the creative industries, has accused Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube of misrepresenting progress in eliminating pit toilets in schools. Following oversight visits to schools in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and North West, Feni stated that the department cited the completion of an old project as an achievement, despite a significant backlog. The Minister's office, through spokesperson Lukhanyo Vangqa, denied that Gwarube lied, clarifying that all 3,372 projects from the 2018 Safe Initiative audit had reached practical completion. Vangqa emphasized that this does not imply the absence of sanitation or water supply challenges in all South African schools, distinguishing between the completion of the 2018 backlog and other identified needs. The department could not provide a cost for complete eradication, citing variables like facility condition, solution type, water availability, and geographic accessibility. Provincial education departments are responsible for budgeting for remaining infrastructure needs. The overall school infrastructure backlog in South Africa exceeds R120 billion. The FW de Klerk Foundation called for accelerated pit latrine removal and accurate reporting, with Daniela Ellerbeck, constitutional rights programmes manager, and Christo van der Rheede, executive director, highlighting the need for honesty about remaining challenges. Kathija Yassim, an education leadership professor, stres
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South African schools continue to experience incidents involving pupils falling into pit toilets, despite the Department of Basic Education's pledge to eradicate them by March 2025. Recent incidents occurred at Mogogelo Primary in North West and Zakhele Primary in KwaZulu-Natal. At Mogogelo Primary, a Grade 1 pupil fell into a pit toilet after a contractor abandoned the site, leaving open inlets. The school's education spokesperson, Vuyo Mantshule, stated the school did not barricade the construction area. At Zakhele Primary, a five-year-old pupil was rescued from a pit latrine earlier this year. Kathija Yassim, an education leadership professor at the University of Johannesburg, noted that under the Sanitation Appropriate for Education Safe programme, 3,372 schools with unsafe pit toilets were identified in 2018. As of April 2025, 96% of these schools had been addressed, with 141 awaiting completion, a number that has since fallen to around 135. Yassim also highlighted that about 1,770 public schools still had some form of pit toilets in 2024, though many also had alternative sanitation. The department has allocated R1.6 billion for the 2025-26 financial year to complete pit latrine eradication. Last year, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube informed parliament that the Safe initiative had eradicated over 93% of identified pit toilets and confirmed that all 3,372 schools identified in the 2018 audit now have safe and appropriate sanitation facilities.
Nigerians are reportedly sleeping outside their embassy in Pretoria, awaiting repatriation flights two weeks after anti-migrant protests on June 30. Many have been living in South Africa for years and are now seeking assistance to return home, with some expressing concerns about the lack of support from the embassy and the safety of women and children. Meanwhile, the Malawi high commission is experiencing a significant increase in demand for aid, with the Institute for Islamic Services providing meals, winter essentials, and medical supplies to hundreds of individuals daily. A staff member from the Malawian high commission, speaking anonymously, indicated that while buses are transporting people, the influx of those seeking refuge, sometimes up to 300 daily, is overwhelming. Doctors have also expressed concern for over 40 children sleeping in the embassy's basement due to cold weather. Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi stated that South Africa has deported and repatriated over 50,000 foreign nationals recently as authorities address migration concerns.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa IEC has gazetted a new code of disinformation aimed at curbing the spread of falsehoods during election campaigns. This code, part of the Electoral Code of Conduct on Measures to Address Disinformation in Local Government Elections, requires political parties and candidates to acknowledge the importance of information integrity and trustworthy media. They must also recognize the harm disinformation poses to free and fair elections and take steps to counter it. The proposals are open for public comment until July 21. Once finalized, parties and candidates will be required to sign the code. Breaches of the code, which applies to all election-related communications, paid and unpaid content, and campaign activities, could lead to sanctions under the Electoral Act. The rules mandate parties and candidates to refrain from deliberate manipulation of the public, including through digital technologies like artificial intelligence and inauthentic online behavior. They are also required to publicly retract and correct any disinformation disseminated by them or on their behalf and to censure those responsible. The code encourages transparency, requiring parties to proactively disclose key information relevant to the elections or electorate. The Government Gazette states that parties and candidates undertake not to use or encourage technologies that amplify disinformation or manipulate political discourse, including falsified data or targeted false