The last image Unecebo Mboteni’s family has of the three-year-old is of a nurse pumping his stomach bloated and filled with faeces and urine from a pit toilet he had fallen into.
On April 18 2024 three-year-old Unecebo fell into a pit toilet at his pre-school in the Eastern Cape, a place where he should have been safe. After his teachers noticed Unecebo was no longer in the classroom, they realised he had fallen into the pit toilet after seeing “bubbles”. The young boy was rushed to hospital but sadly died the next day.
Unecebo’s mother, Andiswa Mboteni, said the most painful part of his death is that he is gone in a way the family cannot understand. That he was there one day and gone the next. She described her son as a lively boy who enjoyed making friends and playing with his toy cars. His friends would welcome him to school singing “Une, Une, Une”.
It has now been over a year since his death and the family has not heard from the pre-school or the department of basic education (DBE), which is responsible for early childhood development (ECD) centres, about whether the pit toilet that Unecebo fell into has been removed. The department promised the family support for counselling but has remained silent.
Following his death, Unecebo’s parents opened a case with the police. The family said police told them earlier this year that it could take three to four years before the investigation is completed.
[Pit toilets] were meant to be removed and replaced by 2016. Each year the DBE fails learners across the country in its inability to do this.
Unecebo is the third child reported to have died in the Eastern Cape after falling into a pit toilet. Yet the tragic loss of these young lives has not been enough to ensure the eradication of all pit toilets in schools, including daycare centres.
The use of these toilets violates the rights to sanitation, health, education, dignity, privacy and in cases like Unecebo, the right to life.
In 2013, pit toilets were banned from South African schools under the Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public Infrastructure; regulations that outline the bare requirements to create a conducive and safe environment for learning. They were meant to be removed and replaced by 2016. Each year the DBE fails learners across the country in its inability to do this.
In April 2025, the DBE said it managed to eradicate 96% of pit toilets in schools which are part of its Sanitation Appropriate for Education initiative. However, there is no clarity on the actual number of schools still using pit toilets that are not part of this initiative.
In 2022, the oversight of ECD centres was moved from the department of social development to the DBE. As part of its new role, the department committed to developing infrastructure and resource norms and standards for ECD centres, which includes sanitation facilities.
It is unclear whether this work has started, and in the meantime, the lives of young children, like Unecebo, are at risk.
Amnesty International South Africa is calling for the DBE to publicly announce an immediate audit to determine how many ECD centres are using illegal pit toilets. Accompanying this, the department must outline a transparent and sustainable plan to ensure the urgent removal of all pit toilets from ECD centres.
The department must also work with the South African Police Service to expedite the investigation into Unecebo’s death to ensure those responsible are held accountable.
As Andiswa said: “It won’t bring back Unecebo, but it will help my family get closure and heal … and hopefully ensure that this never happens to another child.”
Sadly, Unecebo’s case is part of a broader context of an education system that is dogged by stark inequalities and chronic underperformance. Many schools are struggling with crumbling infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms and poor educational outcomes.
These failures are not just a question of institutional accountability but have consequences for the life chances of thousands of young people who have the right to a better life regardless of their status or circumstances.
Ultimately Unecebo lost his life in a place where he should have been safe, and his family deserves answers and closure.
Amnesty International will mobilise hundreds of thousands of people around the world to advocate for justice for Unecebo, as part of its Write for Rights campaign, which helps to change the lives of individuals at risk through taking action.
We need as many people as possible to put pressure on those responsible and demand justice for Unecebo, and ensure that no other life is lost in an illegal pit toilet.
To take action visit amnesty.org.za
Alicia Jooste, Amnesty International South Africa
For opinion and analysis consideration, email opinions@timeslive.co.za
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