According to the Basic Department of Education, 156 schools with pit latrines only, as well as unacceptable sanitation exist in the Free State, while 145 are found in the North West. In a parliamentary reply to the EFF, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga outlines that schools with inadequate sanitation are still a major concern. Her written response indicates that the majority of learners and teachers who are subjected to the use of pit latrines are mainly found in the Eastern Cape, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Free State, and the North West.

Motshekga's report further indicates that the Northern Cape has the least number of schools with pit latrines, while Gauteng and the Western Cape have none.

She confirms her department is still working on redressing this issue and that work is underway at 1675 schools. She says the planning and construction of toilets are underway at many of them.

The Basic Department of Education has got under fire a number of times following the death of learners who drowned in school pit latrines in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape.

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