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The DA is concerned by the ineptitude displayed by the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management when it comes to the safety of children making use of the scholar transport system in the province. 

On Friday, 21 July, a Grade-R learner, Lethabo Goralotse, suffered injuries after he was reportedly pushed from a moving bus in Extention 25, near Vryburg. He was allegedly forced to commute in an overloaded bus with older learners. According to reports, the bus driver refused to stop despite the learner passengers raising an alarm.

While this might seem like an isolated case, North West scholar transport has faced serious problems. The DA's request early last year to the Department to conduct a scholar transport audit was ignored, this while learners continue to be exposed to dangerous situations on buses that put their lives in danger.   

The MEC's indication that a team of monitors have been employed in all school districts and that observance of compliance is done on an unplanned basis does not seem to work.  

The DA will write to MEC Sello Lehari to ascertain how many monitors have been appointed, how they were appointed, what the terms of their Service Level Agreements are, and what consequence management entails when issues like this one arise. 

Our oversights at various schools have shown that some of the buses contracted by the department are not roadworthy.

We urge members of the public, learners, parents and teachers to report their scholar transport concerns to us at scholartransport@da.org.za so that we may bring those concerns to MEC Lehari’s attention for immediate action.

The DA in North West will continue to hold the department accountable for the safety of learners. 

Issued by Freddy Sonakile - DANW Spokesperson on Community Safety and Transport Management