Bayview police have uncovered alarming safety violations during a scholar transport crackdown, including 29 children packed into a 16-seater vehicle and an unlicensed 22-year-old taxi driver transporting schoolchildren. In response to a recent tragedy involving scholar transport in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, the Western Cape Provincial Traffic Law Enforcement has intensified its efforts to safeguard learners who rely on daily transportation to school. This comes amid growing concerns about the safety of scholar transport across South Africa.
Since schools reopened on 14 January 2026, authorities have collaborated with Municipal Traffic Services to conduct extensive operations aimed at addressing alarming levels of non-compliance among transport operators. Between 14 and 23 January, officials executed 45 integrated operations, stopping over 1,600 vehicles, issuing 1,250 fines totalling more than R580,000, and impounding 46 vehicles for serious violations. Disturbingly, 23 unroadworthy vehicles were identified, many of which were carrying vulnerable learners.
While the effort successfully targeted a range of infractions, including instances of drivers operating under the influence of alcohol, rampant overloading, and unroadworthy vehicles, it also highlighted a worrying trend: the persistence of unsafe and illegal transport operations. Three drivers were arrested for driving under the influence, with one individual recorded at a worrying 0.68 mg/l. The operations resulted in a staggering 109 fines related to public-transport offences alone.
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Provincial Minister of Mobility, Isaac Sileku addressed the issue, saying, “Our foremost concern is the safety of every learner who depends on transport to get to and from school each day. That is why we have strengthened our enforcement efforts during the busiest travel periods, placing special emphasis on overloading, seatbelt use, driver fitness, vehicle roadworthiness, and valid operating licences. However, government alone cannot ensure the safety of scholars. We need transport operators, parents, and guardians to take bold and proactive steps to protect the lives of our learners.”
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