Forty-seven buses failed and were removed from transporting pupils in KwaZulu-Natal following a scholar transport inspection by the provincial Department of Transport on Tuesday.
The department inspected 245 vehicles and found that 47 were declared unroadworthy and could not transport pupils on the first day of the 2025 academic year.
Concerns including steering, brakes and suspension were flagged.
At Golden Investment Business Park in Pietermaritzburg, KZN Department of Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma inspected 150 of the buses and minibuses that provide scholar transport to 77 369 pupils who are expected to walk more than 3 kilometres to 433 schools.
He expressed satisfaction with the readiness and condition of the inspected fleet. They have mandated the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) and other law enforcement agencies across the province to be on full alert and do spot checks.
“More law enforcement operations and inspections of scholar transport will be conducted by our highly efficient team from RTI in more than 26 satellite stations,” Duma said.
He said that over the festive season, they rolled out a successful road safety operation that ensured the enforcement of the law and the visibility of law enforcement officers.
“We want to sustain this visibility as we reopen schools to ensure the safety of future leaders,” Duma said.
“Our view is that those who are transporting learners must know that they are carrying the future of this province. Only the strongest shoulders, of disciplined individuals, can carry and fulfil the hopes of the nation.”
Duma also said many communities have been affected due to damage to road infrastructure, bridges, and human settlements. This follows prolonged heavy rainfall that began on December 31.
“Despite limited resources, we are making all efforts to turn around the situation. Teams from both departments are doing assessments of damage and doing verification of affected families.”
Duma added that for 2025, they hope they will get a bigger budget to provide scholar transport to more than 157 538 pupils on the waiting list. The budget required for this purpose is estimated at R1.6 billion.
Meanwhile, Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety MEC Violet Mathye urged parents and guardians to exercise diligence when selecting private transport services for their children.
She said that when choosing a transport service, please verify that the vehicle is in good condition and that the driver holds a valid professional driving permit. Additionally, inquire about the number of pupils the vehicle will transport to prevent overloading.
“As a department, we expect scholar transport operators to exercise caution and comply with laws regulating scholar transport. Drivers must possess valid professional driving permits and operating licenses for their routes,” Mathye said.
“Unauthorised vehicles, such as bakkies, and unroadworthy vehicles will be prohibited from ferrying learners.
“We will regularly deploy traffic officers and SAPS members to monitor routes and ensure compliance by scholar transport operators. Let’s make this a safe year on our roads for our children,” Mathye said.
The North West legislature portfolio committee on community safety and transport management chaired by Freddy Sonakile urged all provincial scholar transport operators to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy to guarantee the safe and efficient transportation of scholars.
Sonakile said the committee will conduct its oversight responsibilities to ensure the department’s internal systems function properly.
“We remain resolute that non-compliant scholar transport vehicles must be removed from the roads, and contracts for such operators should be revoked immediately,” Sonakile said.
This year, the committee will follow up on its recommendations to strengthen the scholar transport system, including:
- Regular unannounced inspections of scholar transport vehicles.
- Implement electronic monitoring and payment systems.
- Strict enforcement of compliance measures to protect pupils.