Tragic scholar transport accident exposes lawlessness in South Africa

The horrific scholar transport vehicle accident that left 14 learners dead and another three injured has laid bare that lawlessness is rife – driving school children in stolen vehicles, unroadworthiness, and without the necessary permits.

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane on Friday said an operation in Lenasia on Thursday led to the impounding of over 60 scholar transport vehicles due to being unroadworthy, not having permits, and overloading, including one carrying 27 learners.

The driver of the vehicle overloaded with 27 learners was arrested on the spot.

However, speaking at the memorial service for the 14 learners in the Vaal on Friday, Chiloane said what got him very worried was one particular vehicle that was stopped.

He said it was established that the man was driving a stolen car, did not have a driver’s licence, yet he was driving children to school in a stolen vehicle.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy this week undertook to introduce a requirement for advanced driver training for scholar transport operators following the accident.

On March 5, the 22-year-old driver of the vehicle involved in the accident, Ayanda Dludla, will be back at the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court to face 14 counts of murder, three of attempted murder, and driving a vehicle without a valid public driver’s permit.

The taxi Dludla was driving collided with a side tipper truck while he was dangerously overtaking a number of cars.

During the operation, Creecy said following the terrible accident, she convened a meeting with all transport MECs to develop a programme of further enforcement activities that target specifically private scholar transport vehicles.

The accident in the Vaal occurred following a nationwide operation by Transport departments to check the state of the buses procured by the Department of Education.

Creecy admitted that many of these vehicles are not roadworthy and drivers were not licensed to carry passengers.

She said there is a provision in the law that enables her to regulate that those who are involved in the transportation of scholars need to go on an advanced driving course.

“I think that is very much required. We also intend, through this regulation, to introduce a system in which private vehicles that are involved in scholar transport have to be marked ‘This is a school transport vehicle’ and also, of course, there has to be a relationship between the vehicle (operator) and the school because the school is the primary point of contact with these vehicles,” Creecy explained.

Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela said following the announcement by scholar transport operators that they would be protesting the impounding of their vehicles on Thursday afternoon, there was no child left stranded.

Speaking on Friday morning, Diale-Tlabela said there were 34 affected schools and over 600 learners who were transported by the Department of Education.

She said after school, there was monitoring and contingency plans were made for them.

“We even brought the Gautrain taxis to be here on site in case children are stranded,” added Diale-Tlabela.

She further stated that since the beginning of the 2026 academic year, her department’s officials had arrested scholar transport operators who wanted to bribe police and others who were driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to Diale-Tlabela, there were incidents where some parents say their kids were not picked up by the same vehicle that took them.

“We don’t know what happens after taking kids from their homes and what happens along the way to school. But what we found is kids in unroadworthy and overloaded vehicles, and these are things that parents do not know.” 

Diale-Tlabela continued: “I don’t think there is any parent that can enter into a contract seeing the vehicle is a coffin (on wheels) it’s going to kill my child. So there’s something that happens between collecting children and taking them to school.”

She said some operators claimed to have never even visited the department to apply for permits.

“They say they pay to an association and the association says it will do it on their behalf. We just told them now that it’s not the responsibility of the association, you apply as an operator. The operator’s licence is given to you as an individual and to your vehicle,” Diale-Tlabela stated.

The 14 learners will be buried on Saturday and Sunday in the Vaal and across various parts of the country.

loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za