Plug the loopholes to save pupils lives

ON WHAT should have been a joyous first day of school, South Africa was instead plunged into mourning when 12 pupils were killed in a horrific scholar transport crash.

Twelve desks lie empty in various Gauteng primary and secondary classrooms.

Twelve sets of schoolbooks and uniforms will not be used.

The tragedy that has shaken the nation has exposed glaring fault lines in our transport system.

This is not merely an accident but a symptom of systemic neglect.

While government-subsidised scholar transport is subject to regulations, its private counterpart operates in a shadowy space.

“Within the scholar transport system, we have some regulations, however within the private transport we have some loopholes and this is the price we are seeing today,” Gauteng Premier Lesufi admitted candidly.

The tragic event unfolded when a private scholar transport vehicle, identified as a Toyota Quantum designed to carry 14 passengers, collided head-on with a truck.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the driver of the scholar transport attempted to overtake multiple vehicles simultaneously, placing the lives of the children onboard and other road users in jeopardy.

President Cyril Ramaphosa called Monday’s crash “distressing”.

“Our children are the nation’s most precious assets and we must do all we can to protect pupils - from observing the rules of the road to the quality of service providers appointed to transport scholars,” the president said.

Similar messages of regret have been made all too frequently by the President and national transport officials following multiple deaths on our roads.

But exactly how much is being done to curb such mayhem?

Fatal road collisions are common in South Africa, due to rampant speeding, reckless and drunken driving and poorly maintained vehicles.

In 2025, 11 418 people died in crashes – an average of 31 deaths a day.

The grief of parents and communities following the Gauteng pupils’ tragedy must now be matched by decisive action.

South Africa cannot continue to gamble with the lives of its children.

The regulatory void between public and private scholar transport is not a technical oversight but is a moral failure.

Every day that passes without reform is another day that places pupils at risk.

Urgent measures are required such as uniform safety standards across both public and private scholar transport; strict licensing and compliance checks for all operators; and transparent accountability mechanisms to ensure that negligence is punished, not excused.

This tragedy must be the last of its kind.

To allow business-as-usual in the wake of such loss would be unforgivable. 

South Africa is called to action, not tomorrow, not next year, but now.

The lives of our children demand nothing less.

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