DA questions Gauteng scholar transport policy after Khutsong bus accident injures 42 learners
Although none of the learners were killed, the accident again put a spotlight on the safety of scholar transport in the Merafong City Local Municipality area.
The DA’s Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, Sergio Isa Dos Santos, raised questions about the implementation of a scholar transport policy in the province following Monday’s bus accident at Khutsong involving more than 40 learners.
The learners were hurt when the bus they were travelling in from Relebogile Secondary School overturned on Monday afternoon.
The accident occurred in a slipway at the big traffic light, at the crossing next to the Khutsong police station, when the vehicle in front of the school bus suddenly stopped. The bus fell over when the driver tried to swerve.
According to the district manager of Gauteng emergency services in the West Rand, Jurgens Bence, nine government ambulances from Khutsong, Carletonville, Wedela, Fochville and Westonaria transported a total of 42 injured learners to Carletonville Hospital.
“Luckily only one of the learners was seriously injured,” Bence said.
The bus driver was not injured.
This accident occurred just less than three months after 12 school children died when their taxi overturned and burned out near Wedela in July.
“In July 2024, the MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, acknowledged the fundamental flaws in the scholar transport policy and committed to overhauling it. While the DA was encouraged by this move, this incident highlights that there has been no follow-through on this commitment. The MEC announced that he will be initiating discussions on enhancing scholar transportation safety. However, three months have passed without any update on the policy review,” says Dos Santos.
“Currently, learners in Gauteng can be transported to a maximum distance of 15 km one-way, totalling 30 km per day, while some operators service routes significantly shorter than this. The lack of nearby schools necessitates longer travel for many learners, highlighting the urgent need for completing school projects and establishing new schools closer to communities in need,” he added.
