Diale-Tlabela has issued a stern warning to scholar transport operators: unroadworthy vehicles and those operating without valid permits will be impounded immediately.

The warning comes ahead of intensive scholar transport inspections planned across the province next week, targeting schools, transport routes, and peak travel times as learners return to school, the South African Government News Agency reports.

“The safety of learners travelling to and from school is non-negotiable. Government will not tolerate operators who place children’s lives at risk,” the Gauteng MEC said on Sunday, January 11.

“For the next nine months, millions of children will depend on drivers to get them to school safely. Every time a child gets into a vehicle or walks near a road, their life is in someone else’s hands. We will not allow unroadworthy vehicles or unlicensed operators to transport our children.”

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Vehicles found to be unroadworthy or operating without the required permits will be impounded on the spot, while drivers without valid licences will face arrest.

The MEC also urged parents to take an active role in protecting their children.

“Parents have power. Your money gives you a voice. Don’t pay for transport in a vehicle that doesn’t have proper seating for every child, working seatbelts, or is visibly unroadworthy. Report unsafe vehicles to us,” she said.

All scholar transport vehicles must:

* Have a valid licence disc and roadworthy certificate
* Be driven by a person with a valid driving licence
* Provide proper, fixed seating for every child
* Have functioning seatbelts for all passengers
* Not exceed licensed passenger capacity
* Be free of critical defects, including brakes, tyres, lights, and windscreen

Diale-Tlabela also appealed to all motorists to exercise extra caution near schools and scholar transport vehicles.

“You might not have children in your car, but you share the road with them. That child crossing the road could be distracted or running late. You’re the adult in control of a ton of metal. The responsibility to watch out for them is yours,” she said.

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Scholar transport safety is a key priority in the Service Delivery Agreement signed between Diale-Tlabela and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

“We committed to ensuring safe roads for every Gauteng learner. The government is doing its part through enforcement. Now we need every driver, every parent, and every operator to do theirs,” the MEC added.