LUNGANI Makhathini, the provincial chairperson of the National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB), has condemned taxi owners who use unroadworthy vehicles to transport children to school.

Also read: [Update] Isipingo accident: Taxi was allegedly overloaded

On the morning of January 27, a minibus taxi that was transporting learners to school was involved in an accident on Arbour Road in Athlone Park. While there were no serious injuries, the learners were left shaken.

A 13-year-old learner was among the 11 passengers who died when a minibus taxi and a truck collided on Wanda Cele Road (R102) in Isipingo on January 29.

Makhathini, who is based in Umgababa, said this comes after several accidents involving learner-transporting vehicles since the schools opened were reported nationally. He also condemned the overloading of learners.

“When we, as parents, hand our children over to a person transporting them to and from school, we trust that person to take care of and protect them as a parent would. We are trusting you to take the child to school safely and return them home safely,” said Makhathini.

In response, the KZN Department of Education (DOE) said it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that the vehicles and drivers transporting their children are roadworthy and properly certified, respectively.

DOE spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said it is also the responsibility of parents to ensure that children are seated properly and do not stand or hang out of vehicles.

“Parents must educate children on safe conduct inside the vehicles, including wearing seatbelts, remaining seated, and not distracting the driver. Learners must be taught to wait safely for transport away from the roadway, and a respectful behaviour towards drivers and fellow learners must be enforced. Parents should work with schools to develop and enforce scholar transport policies,” said Mahlambi.

He added that parents must not be afraid to refuse transport that does not comply with basic safety standards. In terms of the driver, he said parents should ensure that they hold a valid driving licence endorsed with a professional driving permit (PrDP) for passenger transport. The PrDP holder must be 21-years-old and above.

Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.