Scholar Transport Operators Take Fight To Gauteng MEC After New Safety Crackdown

The streets outside the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport were anything but quiet on Thursday morning. Hundreds of scholar transport operators gathered with placards and petitions, marching to the office of Gauteng Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela to demand answers.

At the heart of their protest is a deep frustration. Operators say new compliance measures introduced by the provincial department are too harsh, too sudden and unfairly applied to private transporters.

And they believe they are paying the price for a tragedy that shook the province.

The Shadow Of The Vanderbijlpark Crash

The protest follows the devastating scholar transport accident in Vanderbijlpark, where 14 children lost their lives while travelling to school. The crash sent shockwaves across Gauteng and reignited concerns about the safety of scholar transport across the province.

In response, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport intensified its compliance campaign. Vehicles have been impounded, inspections increased and new documentation requirements enforced.

For many families, the tragedy was a painful reminder of how much trust they place in the drivers who ferry their children to and from school each day. For government, it became a moment to tighten oversight.

But for private operators, it has felt like collective punishment.

“We Are Being Punished”

Many of the protesters are affiliated with the Benoni Education Scholar Transport Association. They argue that stricter regulations are being imposed across the board without enough consultation.

Among the new requirements, operators must now obtain school authorisation letters, ensure every vehicle is fully roadworthy and secure formal contracts with parents or guardians.

John Chauke, speaking on behalf of the association, questioned why private operators are facing such intense scrutiny when the fatal accident involved government scholar transport.

He argued that while safety is non-negotiable, the department should not treat all operators as though they are negligent.

A Cancelled Meeting And Rising Tensions

Part of the frustration stems from a cancelled meeting with the MEC. The session, initially scheduled for last Sunday, did not proceed because the venue was too small to accommodate the large number of operators who arrived.

For transporters who had travelled from across Gauteng, that cancellation felt like a dismissal.

Thursday’s march was their way of ensuring their concerns are heard.

Safety Versus Survival

The department’s stance is clear. It has ramped up enforcement, insisting that scholar transport operators must comply with roadworthiness standards and regulatory requirements.

In a province as densely populated as Gauteng, where thousands of children rely on private transport daily, the stakes are high. Scholar transport has long filled the gap between overstretched public systems and working parents’ realities.

Operators say they are not opposed to regulation. Many agree that proper roadworthy certification and documentation are necessary. Their plea is for reasonable timelines and meaningful engagement, rather than immediate enforcement that threatens their livelihoods.

For now, the protest has drawn a line in the sand between compliance and consultation. Whether the MEC’s office responds with dialogue or further enforcement could determine how this standoff unfolds.

What remains certain is that both sides claim to be fighting for the same thing: the safety of Gauteng’s children.

{Source:EWN}

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