Access to safe sanitation is not just a matter of comfort or convenience; it is a fundamental human right
Nine years after grade R learner Michael Komape drowned in a pit toilet, 2 334 schools in the province still have these structures on their premises
The Covid-19 crisis has exposed the raw realities of South Africa’s under-resourced public schools
Technology has the potential to solve many of the country’s social problems such as electricity production and the eradication of pit latrines
Supreme Court of Appeal says the attitude of the education authorities “to be deprecated in the strongest possible terms”
How do the courts ensure proper compensation for the loss of Uyinene Mrwetyana and Michael Komape
The Supreme Court of Appeal this week heard argument on why the law, as it now stands, is inadequate to compensate the Komape family
The death of Michael Komape has ignited debate on whether or not the common law should be developed to include damages for grief
Polly Boshielo, the Limpopo MEC for education, has committed to eliminating pit toilets in the province by the end of this financial year
Poor facilities rob pupils and teachers of basic rights and also lead to absenteeism and drop-outs
The civil society organisation has called the initiative ‘ironic’ in light of government’s stalling of infrastructure delivery
Section 27 will asking Judge Gerrit Muller to grant the family leave to appeal and for the appeal to be heard at the Supreme Court of Appeal
The outcome of the Michael Komape case illustrates the need for judges to break new ground to realise the democratic contract
It’s a setback for the family, but it will help the campaign to end pit toilets in schools
During the department’s budget vote speech, the minister emphasised that budget cuts will make it difficult to deliver safe infrastructure
The judge dismissed their R2-million claim for constitutional damages, saying justice would be better served if all pupils had safe toilets
Michael’s parents lodged several claims against the Basic Education Department after their five-year-old drowned in a pit latrine in 2014
Five-year-old Michael died in 2014 after falling into a pit latrine at Mehlodumela Primary School where he was a Grade R pupil
The president has instructed Motshekga to develop an emergency plan to eradicate unsafe structures. But the audit and the plans already exist!
Some schools in the Eastern Cape, which have no sanitation at all, would be addressed with urgency
The education minister has convened an urgent meeting to plot the eradication of unsafe toilets following the death of five-year-old Lumka Mkhethwa
The ANC is becoming a threat to the opposition again,and another child was found dead in a pit toilet at school. Read this and more.
A five-year-old girl has perished in the Eastern Cape, bringing school infrastructure into focus
Five-year-old Viwe Jali fell into the toilet at the Luna Primary School in Bizana on Tuesday
These were the state social worker’s words to a tearful mother after her five-year-old’s death
Former principal of Mahlodumela Primary School told the court that she made repeated requests for new toilets for the school from as far back as 2004.
Clinical psychologist, Steven Molepo, testified earlier in the week that the family had not found closure with Michael’s death.
The state’s lawyer says that school sanitation can’t rest solely at the doorstep of education authorities
Michael Komape (5) drowned in a pit latrine at his school. Now his family wants justice
‘Little Michael’s story is the ultimate expression of what state capture means, even as our president denies that it is real’
The third day of the ongoing trial in the civil lawsuit brought by the Komape family had Michael’s older sister testify.
James Komape, Michael’s father, was the second witness to be called to testify this afternoon in the trial that started on Monday.