Unstoppable Together Campaign Brings Sanitation Reform to 300 Schools Across Gauteng
Unstoppable Together Campaign Brings Sanitation Reform to 300 Schools Across Gauteng
A staggering new audit has revealed a sanitation emergency across Gauteng schools—an issue Baby Soft® and partners are boldly tackling this Mandela Day through their Unstoppable Together campaign.
With the Department of Basic Education and Domestos joining hands, the initiative is not just offering temporary relief but aiming to embed lasting change in the province’s sanitation systems. The timing is symbolic yet powerful: on Mandela Day, a time for reflection and action, the campaign is taking a stand for dignity, hygiene, and safe learning environments.
Toilet Loss: Gauteng’s Silent Crisis
An audit conducted in May 2025 exposed the severe degradation of sanitation infrastructure across 300 primary schools in Gauteng. Over 1,717 toilet blocks and more than 4,000 cubicles were assessed. The findings were deeply concerning:
- Only 6.5% of cubicles met basic sanitation standards.
- 27% of toilets had visible waste and 22% emitted strong odours.
- Only 15% of toilet blocks had toilet paper available.
- 50% lacked soap, and 69% had no dustbins.
- Though most schools had cleaners, only 32% used any cleaning checklists, and routine maintenance was rare.
“These results are a wake-up call,” said Siyolise Shinga, Brand Manager for Baby Soft®. “Only 50 out of 300 schools had even one cubicle that passed all criteria. This isn’t about isolated failures—it’s a systemic challenge.”
READ: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites Declared Gauteng’s 2nd World Heritage Sites
What Is the Unstoppable Together Campaign?
The Unstoppable Together campaign is a public-private partnership that extends far beyond just delivering hygiene supplies. It is a blueprint for systemic improvement in school sanitation, focusing on:
- Training cleaners and school management in hygiene best practices.
- Supplying cleaning kits, bleach, PPE, toilet paper, and soap.
- Providing administrative tools like cleaning rosters, checklists, and stock-tracking forms.
- Rolling out behaviour-change campaigns to motivate staff and enforce accountability.
This model was already proven successful in the Eastern Cape in 2024, where over 100,000 lives were positively impacted. There, access to PPE jumped from 31% to 93%, toilet paper availability rose from 61% to 99%, and daily cleaning checklist use improved from 0.3% to 42%.
The Human Side of Sanitation
According to Queen Mgobhozi from Domestos, Gauteng is showing encouraging signs already. “Cleaners here are motivated—85% say they feel driven to care for school toilets, and 64% describe themselves as extremely motivated,” she said.
This passion is now being matched with the resources and structure needed to succeed. The campaign is about honouring the role of school cleaners—often overlooked heroes in the education ecosystem.
Sanitation as an Educational Right
Beyond the soap and buckets, this campaign speaks to a broader issue: the right of every child to learn in dignity.
“For too long, school sanitation has been treated as an afterthought,” said Shinga. “Yet its impact on attendance, health, and even learners’ self-worth is undeniable.”
The campaign’s long-term goal is to integrate sanitation into core planning, staffing and budgeting priorities within schools. The vision is simple yet bold: every learner deserves to enter a clean, safe, and respectful bathroom—every single day.
Mandela Day: A Catalyst for Change
While Mandela Day 2025 provides a moment to launch and amplify this mission, the stakeholders behind Unstoppable Together are clear—this is no one-day charity drive.
“Our commitment is more than symbolic,” said Shinga. “It’s a sustained investment in human dignity, health, and the right to learn without fear. That’s what Mandela stood for, and that’s what we’re working toward.”
In tackling Gauteng’s “toilet loss” crisis, the Unstoppable Together campaign represents a shift from passive concern to active transformation. It champions the principle that safe sanitation is not a luxury—it’s a basic right. And with Mandela Day as the spark, Baby Soft®, Domestos and the Department of Basic Education are lighting the path forward for thousands of young South Africans.
Also read: Nelson Mandela: Top 10 Inspirational Quotes
