The MEC for Education in the province, Mmaphefo Matsemela, says 13 learners from the Seabo Secondary school in the Kokomeng Village were travelling to school in a bakkie from the Matsheng Village near Taung on Wednesday 21 August 2019. It is alleged that the driver lost control while approaching a sharp curve. Five learners are in a critical condition whilst eight were treated for minor injuries such as headaches and back injuries.

OFM News previously reported that a minibus taxi, carrying 24 learners, collided head-on with another taxi between Klerksdorp and Jouberton Township via the Ellaton suburb, leaving the driver dead.

The department says it has made arrangements to counsel these learners and their families. Scholar transport has been one of the few issues that the province has been struggling to deal with and sometimes leads to such incidents where learners are involved in accidents or being left stranded because of the dispute between the department and companies providing the scholar transport. Earlier the issue came to the scrutiny at the provincial legislature when premier Job Mokgoro revealed that at least three criminal cases have been handed over to the NPA for prosecution in relation to the troubles experienced in the scholar transport system.

During his State of the Province Adress (Sopa), Mokgoro also announced that five other cases of officials implicated in wrongdoing have been sent to the relevant departments for them to institute disciplinary action against the officials. Meanwhile, the MEC Matsemela issued a stern appeal to all drivers who transport learners to schools, to be extremely careful. "They should be cautious whenever they drive with our children and parents should monitor them,” says Matsemela. “Matsemela appealed to parents to make sure that drivers who transport their children are qualified and responsible. She says parents are the ones who pay for transport and they should be in charge of deciding on who are transporting their children, says the department.

OFM News