The calls to eradicate pit toilets come amid the death of a four-year-old girl who was found inside a pit toilet at a primary school in Glen Grey in the Eastern Cape.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Majola Nkohli said they were investigating the matter.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) and civil lobby group Equal Education (EE) are set to make visits to various schools across the country, calling for an end to pit toilets.
They have accused Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her department of not taking responsibility for the dangers posed by pit toilets.
Equal Education expressed its disappointment, as it claimed that the department had not done much to eradicate pit latrines since the launch of the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative in August 2018, with thousands of schools still battling with pit latrines.
“Right now, we have about 1473 pit latrines in the province, and this is according to the reports,“ said EE activist in the Eastern Cape, Itumeleng Mothlabane.
Mothabane says they are unable to determine the exact number of pit latrines in the province because of the under reporting from the department and other stakeholders.
She noted that the situation not only affects learner safety and sanitation, but also the teaching and learning of schools that have compromised infrastructure.
Mothlabane said that when it comes to infrastructure, the Eastern Cape education department has a history of missing deadlines, so they were unsure if this one would be any different.
That shows you clearly that the progress with making sure that sanitation is provided in our school has been frustratingly slow, and the department has not put the necessary urgency.
Mothlabane stressed that parents and community members need to get involved in projects around school infrastructure so that they can monitor progress and hold the department accountable when projects are not being finalised.
Meanwhile, the Department of Basic Education announced the extension of its deadline set to eradicate pit latrines to 2025.
Equal Education and several other activist groups said that they would remain cautious and continue to monitor pit latrines around the country.
