The DA would like to send its heart-felt condolences to the families of the learners who lost their lives in a school bus collision with a train in Middelburg yesterday. One life lost is one too many. Our thoughts and prayers will be with the families of the victims in this difficult time. We wish those who were injured a speedy recovery.
It’s against this backdrop that the DA in Mpumalanga call on both the Provincial Departments of Education and Public Works (PWRT) to take leadership and regulate the issue of scholar transport in the province – as one child’s life lost is one too many, especially if lives are lost due to vehicles that are unroadworthy, overloaded, and have no permit to carry learners.
About 25 other learners were reportedly transported to nearby health facilities for medical attention after they were injured in the accident.
The DA calls on both the departments of Education and Public Works (PWRT) to follow the regulations of the National Learner Transport Policy (NLTP) which states that the provision of learner transport needs to be properly regulated and policed to ensure compliance by operators and users. The NLTP also states that municipal and provincial traffic law enforcers must play a major role in ensuring that the requirements and prescriptions of this Policy are met by learner transport service providers. It says law enforcement strategies and plans must be focused on the safety of learners in terms of fitness of drivers and vehicles transporting learners.
We also call on authorities to monitor and take punitive measures against operators who transport learners in unroadworthy and overloaded vehicles. Provincial departments of transport must also work closely with local government to ensure that operators comply with the safety measures provided in the National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR) and the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA).