Over 2,000 pupils have to share 16 toilets at Ekurhuleni school

More than 2,000 pupils at Villa Liza Secondary School in Ekurhuleni are sharing just 16 toilets, with the Gauteng department of education confirming that 24 others are out of order.

The school has 2,068 pupils and currently only has seven toilets for boys and nine for girls.

The available toilets are mobile ablution facilities, with each toilet serving about 130 pupils.

National basic education standards recommend a ratio of one toilet for every 25 female pupils and one for every 35 male pupils, while the World Health Organisation recommends a student-to-toilet ratio of 1:25 for girls and 1:30 for boys.

The situation has prompted pupils to protest over what they say is a lack of privacy and inadequate access to working toilets.

They say the problem started earlier this year when some toilets were closed because they were broken and had become progressively worse over the past six weeks.

They also said boys and girls had, at one point, been forced to use the same toilets.

“It’s been bad having to share a toilet with females. We protested two weeks ago so we could be heard because it had gone ignored for too long,” one pupil said.

If you have a running tummy or weak bladder, a disaster can happen.—  Anonymous pupil

“There is no privacy when you are there to do your business. This means you have to wait longer. If you have a running tummy or weak bladder, a disaster can happen.”

The pupils said that after the protest, some of the broken toilets were reopened, ending the sharing of facilities between boys and girls.

The department confirmed that boys and girls had used the same facilities but described it as a “temporary situation”.

“The incident referred to … occurred when the boys’ toilets were temporarily cordoned off for maintenance, and some boys attempted to enter the adjacent girls’ facilities,” said Onwabile Lubhelwana, spokesperson for the Gauteng education MEC.

“The school has confirmed that this was an isolated incident and not an arrangement in which boys and girls share toilets.”

“The school has been operating with mobile ablution facilities since 2012. Deterioration is attributed to the ageing mobile infrastructure as well as incidents of vandalism,” he said.

He said reported problems include damaged flushing systems, collapsed urinals and damaged toilet partitions.

“Some facilities have deteriorated to the extent that they require refurbishment rather than routine maintenance,” Lubhelwana said.

He said the department’s head office maintenance unit inspected the facilities on August 13 and issued a job card for repairs.

Researcher Kimberley Khumalo of pressure group Equal Education said the situation highlighted how overcrowding affects more than classroom space.

“We have seen a focus on bringing in classrooms by the department, forgetting about all the other factors at play when the school is overcrowded, including availability of teachers, subjects and resources,” Khumalo said.

Equal Education has called for schools with more than 2,000 pupils to have about 60 toilets.

“It’s disappointing in 2026, after many engagements, that learners are subject to this reality,” Khumalo said.

She said inadequate sanitation could particularly affect girls during menstruation.

“We have seen in some provinces this resulting in some girl learners not attending school when they are in their menstrual cycle because it’s difficult to manage it in a school like that,” she said.

Abraham Mlindeli Geqeza, a parent of a learner at the school, said he got to learn of the toilet problems via a community WhatsApp group.

“I am concerned about the situation, but I also feel responsible to do something as a parent and as a community resident.

“Parents need to teach children to take good care of the facility; in most cases, they are the ones vandalising the toilets.”

Geqeza said that as Villa Lizza is a no-fee school, parents also need to contribute something, as there is a lot of pressure to maintain the school financially.

“This is not just about children but is about us as the community taking responsibility for our school,” he said.