Two primary school teachers received the shock of their lives when the zinc staff toilets they were simultaneously using, suddenly sank into the ground! Fortunately, fellow schoolteachers and parents who came to pay their children’s school fees saved them.

The unfortunate incident happened at Tshipako Primary School, outside Thohoyandou, last week. One of the teachers, John Nethenzheni, said the incident has traumatized him so much that he has now developed a pit toilet phobia.

“I am now afraid to visit a pit toilet since the incident happened. That was a horrible experience which I don’t want to come across again in my life. I think it happened because it had rained too much and the ground was wet at the time. I am also afraid to go and teach in our duplicated leaking mud classrooms because they can fall at any time. The incident has surely affected me psychologically…”

Nethenzheni explained how it happened: “I went to the toilet with my fellow teacher to answer the call of nature without any suspicion. Like a Hollywood movie, we were shocked when the toilets sank into the ground while we were inside. I called my colleague in the other toilet and he was also helplessly experiencing the same fate…”

He said after some screams, teachers and parents came to their rescue. “It was impossible for us to use the doors to come out as they were now facing upwards as the toilets went down into the ground. Parents and teachers then took off the roofs of the toilets and lift us out. That was a horrible experience, that I will never forget for the rest of my life.”

Asked if they were not contaminated with human waste, Nethenzheni said: “My friend was quick thinking because he immediately stood on the toilet seat to avoid contamination. I had to wash my shoes after the ordeal because they were contaminated with human waste.”

The school principal, Mr Billy Mudau, confirmed the incident and said it has affected the learning situation in the underprivileged school. “If it was a brick structure, they would have been dead or injured by now. We thank God because they were not hurt. The problem is that we do not have enough infrastructure at our school and it endangers the lives of our learners and teachers…”

The Department of Education’s acting district senior manager in Vhembe, Dr Ndwakhulu Rathando, said he is still waiting for a full report about the incident. “We are greatly touched by what happened at the school but we will make a public statement soon after receiving the offi-cial report…”