Primary school principal suspended for 'lowering pupil into pit toilet' to retrieve dropped cellphone The 11-year-old allegedly had to dig through piles of faeces with his hands 16 March 2021 - 08:09 The child, allegedly lowered into the pit toilet to find the principal's cellphone, was mocked by pupils and is traumatised. File photo. Image: Alaister Russell A primary school principal who allegedly lowered an 11-year-old pupil into a pit toilet to search for a dropped smartphone — leaving the child covered in faeces — has been suspended. The Eastern Cape education department said it had learnt “with shame the ill-treatment” of the pupil and others who were allegedly instructed to search for the phone.