Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has vowed that the provincial government will intervene decisively to address challenges in the scholar transport sector, following a deadly road accident that claimed the lives of 14 learners.
Speaking at a joint funeral service in Sebokeng on Sunday, Lesufi said the government has a responsibility to correct what is going wrong in the system meant to safely transport learners to and from school.
The funeral was held for three learners who died in Monday’s crash in Vanderbijlpark.
The premier warned that unsafe scholar transport should never turn the daily journey to school into a fatal risk for children.
“We can’t, deputy minister of transport [Mkhuleko Hlengwa], have the situation where the road to school must lead our children to graveyards. We can’t have a situation where, instead of issuing our children with graduation certificates, we give them death certificates.
Need to work together to save lives
“This must come to an end. For us to have this come to an end, it means all of us must work together and must be focused on the task at hand.”
Lesufi emphasised that ensuring the safety of learners requires cooperation between government departments, transport operators and communities. He said the tragedy should serve as a turning point in strengthening oversight and accountability in the scholar transport sector.
Meanwhile, an uncle of one of the deceased learners, Lebo Maqekwana, said scholar transport should be abolished.
“If children were placed at the local schools, none of this would have happened, but we are here today because our children do not get admitted to our local schools.
“Parents can do everything in their trying to make sure that they get good scholar transportation, however, we should not be doing that. Our children must be placed where their homes are,” said Maqekwana.
He said the infrastructure is not in good condition.
“The roads here are bad, so bad that this accident was not the first one, but still nothing has been done to improve them. We are sad that we lost our children like this.”
READ MORE:Â Parents who were side-lined at accident scene to prioritise politicians speak out
