Hon House Chairperson, children - our country's future - daily endure stinky, broken, filthy and open-air toilets at numerous schools in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. Twelve days ago it was reported that bathrooms of 25 schools in Soweto and surrounding areas are in a shocking condition.
Last week, during an oversight visit, I found more toilets and urinals that were blocked, seats broken or not existent, floors flooded, basins and taps broken, and many toilets without doors. None of these toilets had soap, toilet paper, or bins for sanitary towels and these toilets had not been cleaned.
This urged me to lay a complaint at the SA Human Rights Commission, SAHRC, to investigate the denial of the human rights of our learners.
This week it was exposed that learners at a school in Cala, Eastern Cape, have no toilets. Since 2012, these learners have been using open holes in the ground, covered only by temporary toilet seats. No, no longer can our children be exposed to toilets of shame. It is a basic right: Give them dignified toilets. [Applause.]