Two stories in yesterday’s paper, both centred on signs of progress, offered a sobering reminder of how uneven that progress remains. In the first, the lead story on the progress made to eradicate pit toilets from schools in KwaZulu-Natal, provincial chief executive officer for the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation (Naptosa) Thirona Moodley struck at the heart of the issue when she cautioned that, amid a push to introduce technology into classrooms, the basics cannot be overlooked. Her comment underscores the stark inequalities within the education system.
While technology is rightly viewed as part of the future, it remains an abstract luxury for pupils who still lack basic hygiene and safe sanitation at school. That the pit toilet eradication project, including the removal of the degrading bucket system, is 96% complete, is worth acknowledging as progress, but it is also a reminder of how slowly dignity continues to reach some pupils. Another story celebrated the long-awaited plan to deliver electricity this year to two wards in uMshwathi for the first time.
It is difficult to imagine life without electricity today. Residents spoke of chopping wood and cooking on open fires — realities that feel far removed from the daily life of most middle-class citizens; yet these are communities located just outside Pietermaritzburg. In contrast, another report raised hopes that load shedding may finally be behind us.
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For years, many South Africans have vented frustration over power cuts, while communities nearby would gladly accept just two hours of electricity a day. This is not about inspiring guilt, but about perspective. Progress in South Africa is still defined very differently depending on where you live.
While we cannot slow development elsewhere to allow other areas to catch up, we can choose to invest more deliberately in township and rural economies, and celebrate these milestones with the same enthusiasm afforded to developments in major cities. Progress should move us all forward, not leave some waiting decades longer for the basics.
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