The Names Behind the Numbers: Gauteng Releases Names of 12 Learners Killed in Vanderbijlpark Crash

The Gauteng Department of Education has released the names of the twelve young learners whose lives were tragically cut short in Monday’s horrific scholar transport accident in Vanderbijlpark. The children, ranging from Grade 1 to Grade 11, were on their way to school when the minibus they were travelling in collided with a truck on the R553.

The list, a solemn roll call of lost potential, includes learners from several schools across the Vaal region:

• Buhle Radebe – Grade 11, Hoërskool Vanderbijlpark

• Bokamoso Mokhobo – Grade 8, Hoërskool Vanderbijlpark

• Sibongile Madonsela – Grade 10, Hoërskool Vanderbijlpark

• Leano Moiloa – Grade 8, Vaal High School

• Lesego Sefatsa – Grade 2, Oakwood Primary School

• Letlotlo Katlego Makwe – Grade 2, Vaal Triangle Primary School

• Ofentse Jayden Vinger – Grade 1, Oliver Lodge Primary School

• Lindokuhle Mabaso – Grade 5, Noordhoek Primary School

• Pheello Motaung – Grade 11, El-Shaddai Christian School

• Puleng Maphalla – Grade 11, El-Shaddai Christian School

• Naledi Motsapi – Grade 10, El-Shaddai Christian School

• Bohlale Lekekela – Grade 1, El-Shaddai Christian School

The 22-year-old minibus driver has been arrested and faces charges of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving. It was previously revealed that his Professional Driving Permit (PDP) had expired last year.

By releasing the names, the department moves the tragedy from a staggering statistic to a collection of individual stories and unimaginable losses for families and school communities. Each name represents a unique future extinguished, leaving behind grieving parents, siblings, classmates, and teachers across Vanderbijlpark.

This official acknowledgement is a painful but necessary step in a community’s mourning, ensuring that these twelve children are remembered not just as a number, but by name.