Delays over Learner Transport Policy placing our children at risk

18 February 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply saddened by reports of the death of two people yesterday near Rosetta in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Midlands, one of them a 12-year-old boy. This after the allegedly un-roadworthy taxi they were travelling in lost control, crashed and burst into flames.

The taxi was carrying numerous school children who were found trapped inside the vehicle while others were found lying outside the vehicle.

The DA extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of these two individuals, whose lives were ended so tragically. This should never have happened. We also offer our sympathies to those who were injured and wish them a speedy recovery.

The high number of road crashes in our province involving school children is of extreme concern to the DA. The horrific reality is that this will remain a constant threat until such time as KZN's Department of Transport (DoT) stops dragging its heels and implements a proper Learner Transport Policy – one which contains strict guidelines in terms of who may and may not offer public transport to minors.

It is as a direct result of this lack of legislation that we continue to see reckless drivers carrying precious lives in un-roadworthy vehicles. The question is – what is MEC Ntuli waiting for?

Last month, the DA handed over a comprehensive proposed LTP, which included key sections that would ensure the safety of learners accessing public transport. The proposal included the following;

- Operators to ensure that all vehicles must be road worthy
- Operators to comply with the rules of the road or risk losing their service level agreement
- Only approved operators who have been cleared against the Register for Sex Offenders may qualify and;
- Operators must be checked for any criminal records.

To date our recommendations have been ignored by the MEC and his Department. This while they are yet to come up with a clear policy.

Our message today is this – ‘you should have listened to the DA, MEC Ntuli.’ The time has come for you to find the political will to fix the system of learner transport without any further delay.

Issued by Sharon Hoosen, DA KZN Spokesperson on Transport, 18 February 2020