MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela issues zero-tolerance warning to operators risking learners’ lives

Diale-Tlabela stressed that every moment a child travels to or from school carries responsibility.

As schools reopen across Gauteng, the provincial government has announced a zero-tolerance enforcement drive against unsafe scholar transport, warning that unroadworthy vehicles and operators without valid permits will be impounded immediately.

The Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, said the Department will conduct intensive scholar transport inspections at schools, along transport routes, and during peak travel times in the coming week, as millions of learners return to classrooms.

“The safety of learners is non-negotiable,” the MEC said. “We will not tolerate operators who put children’s lives at risk. For the next nine months, learners will depend on drivers to get them to school safely—and we will act decisively where that trust is abused.”

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Immediate Enforcement, Arrests for Non-Compliance

Under the enforcement programme:

• Vehicles that are unroadworthy or operating without valid permits will be impounded on the spot

• Drivers without valid licences will be arrested

• Overloaded or unsafe vehicles will be removed from service immediately

Diale-Tlabela stressed that every moment a child travels to or from school carries responsibility.“Every time a child gets into a vehicle or walks near a road, their life is in someone else’s hands. Government will not allow unlicensed operators or unsafe vehicles to transport our children,” she said.

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Parents Urged to Refuse Unsafe Transport

The MEC also issued a strong appeal to parents, urging them to actively protect their children by refusing to use unsafe scholar transport.

“Parents have power. Your money gives you a voice,” she said. “Do not pay for transport in a vehicle that does not have proper seating for every child, working seatbelts, or is visibly unroadworthy. Report unsafe vehicles to the department.”

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Minimum Safety Requirements for Scholar Transport Vehicles

All scholar transport vehicles operating in Gauteng must:

• Have a valid licence disc and roadworthy certificate

• Be driven by a person with a valid driving licence

• Provide fixed, proper seating for every child

• Have functioning seatbelts for all passengers

• Not be overloaded beyond licensed capacity

• Be free of critical defects, including faulty brakes, tyres, lights or windscreens

Failure to meet these requirements will result in immediate enforcement action.

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Call for Caution from All Road Users

Diale-Tlabela also called on all motorists to exercise heightened caution near schools and scholar transport vehicles.

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

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Government Commitment to Learner Safety

Scholar transport safety remains a key priority under the Service Delivery Agreement between the MEC and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

“We committed to safe roads for every Gauteng learner,” Diale-Tlabela said. “Government is doing its part through enforcement. Now every driver, every parent and every operator must do theirs.”