By BAKANG MOKOTO
13 February 2025- The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management said it has made an alarming discovery over unroadworthy and non-compliant scholar transport buses. This comes after the committee conducted unannounced inspections at Jerry Mahura Secondary School in Ntswanahatse villahe, near Taung, this morning with Traffic Law Enforcement Officers on site.
The Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile said this was driven by alarming discoveries in previous oversight visits, where buses were found to be unroadworthy and non-compliant, despite repeated assurances from the department that monitoring was being conducted. Sonakile said the latest oversight, reinforced by traffic law enforcers, exposed yet another round of shocking violations.
“One bus was immediately discontinued due to severe safety risks, with multiple charges laid against it, including wornout tyres, no operating permit, no route permit and driver without a Professional Driving Permit (PDP).
“We have taken a no-nonsense approach to scholar transport oversight. In a bold move, the further inspections uncovered even more infractions. Another bus, along with two Iveco vehicles operating at the school, saw their drivers slapped with fines for expired licenses, expired vehicle discs, and other regulatory breaches,” he said.
Sonakile further said among the most alarming discoveries was a bus carrying 90 learners, far exceeding capacity while transporting a 20-litre container filled with diesel. He added that, it was also found with broken seats, a clear hazard for young passengers.
“The committee commends the swift action taken by traffic law enforcers during this oversight. However, these findings underscore an undeniable truth. the department has failed in its duty to ensure the safety of scholar transport.
“Despite repeated warnings and ongoing concerns, there is still no sign of the promised audits. Some of the buses are registered in the Northern Cape with that province’s registration numbers,” said Sonakile.
He said the committee has resolved to convene a Scholar Transport Service Providers Public Hearing to hear their side of the story and gain insight into the challenges they face. Sonakile said this will be a crucial step in understanding where the system is breaking down and how to fix it.
“Once engagements with service providers are complete, the committee will table a resolution in the legislature proposing consequence management against those responsible for this ongoing crisis.
“Scholar transport safety is non-negotiable, and accountability must be enforced without exception,” he said.
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