Rural Mzinto Primary School in Mount Frere, Eastern Cape has finally done away with pit toilets after 115 years in operation.
There were multiple incidents where learners almost lost their lives in the deep-holed toilets until Wesolve4x founder Tsietsi Ngobese successfully raised enough funds to replace two pit latrines with 19 modern-flushing toilets.
This was through an initiative called #HelpBuildToilets4MzintoPrimarySchool, at a total cost of R179 000.
“We came to Mzinto Primary School, an Eastern Cape rural school in Mount Frere on August 5 2021 to offer our free maths extra classes from grades 4 to 7,” said Ngobese.
“This was for learners and parents so they would be able to help their children with homework while we also strive to support the families with grocery hampers from our grocery stokvel.
“I then witnessed a grade R learner falling in the pit toilet on my first visit to the school, and managed to save the child. I immediately felt the need to prevent the incident from happening in the future and called on South Africans to extend their helping hands through donations.
By August 2022, the construction had begun with the support of Assupol, and the new toilets were completed by December, ready for back-to-school in the new year.”
He said his team was shocked to learn that the Alumnus of Mzinto Primary School was not prepared to help, saying it was a government job.
“We have completed one task, now we are fundraising to help build a proper classroom for grade R learners, as the mud classroom is old and unstable. It can collapse any time and kill these innocent kids.
“I urge the public to visit the school and see how they can assist, foundation phase classrooms have potholes and the school remains a risk to learners until it can be assisted.
“We don’t want to wait another 115 years before they can be assisted. We appeal to the Department of Basic Education and the general public to hear the cries of Mzinto Primary School learners.”
Zweloxolo Makaula, the school principal, said he has lived in fear of losing a learner to the dark toilets for the past seven years that he has served as the headmaster.
“I am extremely happy that even the youngest learners can now go to the toilet in their own privacy without the need of teachers holding them while they relieve themselves,” Makaula said.
“This gives us a sense of peace, because we are developing. I am glad that Ngobese and his team identified us, although they were not initially here for the project.
“What we need now is total safety of the school, especially grade R. Their classroom needs to be demolished and replaced with a safer structure. After the support with the toilets, I now believe that it takes a village to raise a child, and we will get a new classroom. Thank for the donations.”
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