Watch: elderly driver continues transporting pupils in dangerous vehicle despite warning

AN ELDERLY scholar transport driver in Pietermaritzburg defied authorities by continuing to transport schoolchildren in a dangerous, unroadworthy vehicle after being warned to stop.

Officials have impounded the vehicle and announced plans for enhanced technology to track suspended vehicles as part of a broader crackdown that has already caught hundreds of unsafe school transport operators

According to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and Human Settlements, Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) officers first stopped the driver on Tuesday. His vehicle was found to be unroadworthy and unsafe to carry pupils. 

Officials said the driver was treated with consideration because of his age and was politely warned to repair the vehicle before returning to the road.

Siboniso Duma, the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, said the decision was taken to protect the lives of children.

“We warned the driver and urged him to fix the vehicle to ensure he does not endanger the lives of the learners,” said Duma.

However, the following morning, RTI officers again spotted the same vehicle transporting pupils. 

“This morning the same driver was seen driving the same unroadworthy vehicle. He was stopped and questioned by RTI officers,” Duma added. 

He said the driver allegedly tried to explain his actions.

“He mumbled something about his old age and asked for forgiveness." 

The vehicle was immediately impounded and the pupils were transported to school using alternative arrangements.

The driver now faces serious legal consequences despite pleading for leniency.

Duma said the department was considering using advanced technology to better monitor vehicles that have been declared unroadworthy.

“We are exploring cutting-edge technology to track and monitor the movement of vehicles that have been suspended,” he said.

In a separate incident on the same day, RTI officers intercepted another scholar transport vehicle in Pietermaritzburg that was both overloaded and unroadworthy. Officials said more than 20 pupils were crammed into a 16-seater vehicle.

Ongoing crackdown on unsafe scholar transport

The MEC revealed that authorities have intensified operations since the start of the 2026 school year.

Duma said since schools reopened, more than 268 scholar transport vehicles had been suspended for being unroadworthy. He added that 429 drivers have been charged for various offences, including operating unlicensed vehicles, reckless driver behaviour, and vehicle defects.

The department has once again reminded scholar transport operators to comply with road safety regulations. Parents are also encouraged to check that vehicles transporting their children are roadworthy, licensed, and not overloaded.

“Scholar transport safety is non-negotiable. We cannot allow learners to be placed at risk,” Duma said.

Authorities say law enforcement operations will continue across the province to ensure the safety of pupils. 

THE POST