Picture: A scholar transport bus involved in an accident/Facebook
By REGINALD KANYANE
11 April 2025- The North West Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management has expressed grave concern following yet another unacceptable incident involving a scholar transport bus. A school bus, reportedly with defective brakes, was carrying 48 learners when it failed to stop at the traffic lights opposite Mega City, crashing into a state vehicle and a liquor truck.
The Chairperson of Portfolio Committee, Freddy Sonakile, who arrived at the accident scene just minutes after it occurred, said, fortunately, the truck absorbed the impact, preventing further disaster. Sonakile said the learners sustained minor injuries and were taken to nearby clinics and hospitals.
“This incident highlights a recurring failure in the scholar transport system. Despite numerous warnings by the Committee about unroadworthy buses, the issue persists—this accident being a direct result of those concerns being ignored.
“More troubling is the bus operator’s admission that he has not been paid for over three months, despite continuing to provide the service. This speaks to serious financial mismanagement and systemic negligence within the North West scholar transport tender system,” he said.
Sonakile further said the committee has requested a full report and will hold the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management accountable. He added that the department had assured the committee in March 2025 that all scholar transport operators had been verified.
“Yet, this dangerously unfit bus remained in operation, an inexcusable oversight. The committee will, at its next sitting, consider firm and possibly unpopular reforms, including consideration of compliant versus non-compliant buses and a complete review of the entire tender.
“We cannot afford to wait for fatalities. Bold, immediate and uncompromising action is required to protect our children. We’ve been raising these concerns for over a year, the time for excuses is over,” said Sonakile.
He said the committee wishes all injured learners a speedy recovery and urges parents and communities to remain vigilant and report non-compliant buses immediately and most importantly act before lives are lost, not after.
The Guardian 