Heartbreak In Carletonville As Six-Year-Old Learner Dies In Scholar Transport Tragedy

Carletonville’s tight-knit community has been left reeling after a freak scholar transport accident claimed the life of a six-year-old girl learner. The tragedy unfolded on Friday, 15 August, and has raised painful questions about the safety of children on their daily journeys to and from school.

A Community In Mourning

The young girl, a Grade R learner from Letsatsing Primary Mine School, was rushed to Carletonville Hospital after the accident but sadly succumbed to her injuries later that afternoon. Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed the heartbreaking news, adding that law enforcement is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Officials from the department are also offering psychosocial support to the grieving family, fellow learners, and educators. Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane extended his condolences, saying: “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and assure them of our full support during this difficult time.”

Scholar Transport Under The Spotlight

This tragedy has reopened concerns about the state of scholar transport in South Africa, particularly in Gauteng, where reliance on private operators is high. For many families, especially in mining towns and rural areas, scholar transport is the only way children can get to school. Yet safety oversight has long been a challenge, with accidents often highlighting gaps in regulation and accountability.

On social media, parents voiced both sorrow and anger. One Carletonville mother posted: “Every parent’s worst nightmare is getting a call like this. Scholar transport must be monitored better, our children’s lives are at risk.”

A Painful Reminder Of Past Tragedies

The Carletonville accident comes just months after a devastating crash in March, where four learners from Tom Newby Primary, Rynfield Primary, and an ECD centre in Benoni died in a multi-vehicle collision on the N12 in Daveyton. That crash also involved a scholar transport vehicle, underlining how vulnerable learners are on South African roads.

In that incident, two brothers in Grade 1 and Grade 3, another Grade 1 learner, and a Grade R child all lost their lives. For many Gauteng families, the latest accident feels like déjà vu — another preventable tragedy exposing how fragile the system really is.

Moving Forward

While investigations into the Carletonville accident continue, the calls for safer, better-regulated scholar transport are growing louder. Communities are urging authorities not just to react with condolences but to implement meaningful safety checks and enforcement.

For now, a family is grieving the loss of a child whose life was cut short before it truly began, and a school community is left with empty desks and heavy hearts. As one local resident said outside Letsatsing Primary: “We should not be burying our children because of transport meant to protect them.”

Source:The South African 

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