SEBOKENG – Hundreds of mourners united in mourning at Saul Tsotetsi Sports Complex to say a final goodbye to three pupils who lost their lives during a horrific accident.

Ofentse Vinger, Thato Moetji, and Bokamoso Mokhobo were among 14 pupils who died when a taxi and a truck collided in Vanderbijlpark on January 19.

In a joint funeral service on Sunday, friends and family members of the three youngsters described them as children who brought joy to everyone they met.

Several high-ranking officials, including Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and the minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, attended the funeral.

Speaking during the funeral, Chikunga urged parents to be extremely careful when choosing transport services for their children.

“To parents and guardians, today we issue a clarion call. Vet every driver and vehicle. Ask for a license and verify it. If it is a promise, it is not good enough. Your vigilance is not a suspicion; it is love in action,” she said.

Chikunga warned operators of scholar transport vehicles not to prioritise profit over the lives of the learners they transport.

“To operators and owners, you do not carry loads. You carry futures. If your model requires cutting corners, then it’s not good for this country. Upgrade or step aside. We will continue to support good drivers. And we will continue to remove bad ones from our roads,” she added.

Delivering an emotional eulogy, Premier Lesufi emphasised that the road to school should not become the road to the graveyard for learners using scholar transport services.

“We can’t have a situation where, instead of giving our children graduation certificates, we give them death certificates.” He told the crowd that the government and the community must work together to ensure that no more lives are lost on the way to the classroom.