Another crash, more children hurt: KZN’s scholar transport crisis deepens

It’s a call no parent ever wants to receive.

On Tuesday afternoon, at the R617 Mphophomeni intersection in KwaZulu-Natal, a taxi transporting schoolchildren collided with a light motor vehicle. By the time emergency crews arrived, 16 children were injured.

The youngest? Just three years old.

What happened on the R617

Midlands EMS spokesperson Roland Roberton confirmed that paramedics were dispatched following reports of a multi-vehicle collision.

When crews reached the scene, they found a scholar transport taxi and a light motor vehicle involved in the crash.

Sixteen schoolchildren sustained injuries ranging from minor to moderate. One occupant from the other vehicle was also hurt.

“All patients were assessed and received appropriate medical care on scene before being transported to various hospitals for further treatment,” Roberton said.

Authorities remain on scene investigating the cause of the accident.

For now, families wait for answers.

A worrying pattern

This is the second scholar transport-related accident in KwaZulu-Natal in just over a week.

Earlier, at least 20 people including children were injured when a bus overturned on Annet Drive in Reservoir Hills, west of Durban.

ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson confirmed that multiple children were among those hurt in that collision. The bus came to rest on its side, leaving approximately 15 to 20 people injured.

And last month, tragedy struck on the R102 near Lotus Park in Isipingo, south of Durban. Eleven people were killed in a crash involving a taxi and a truck. Eight others were critically injured.

Following that incident, KZN Transport MEC Sibiniso Duma visited the scene and called for the drivers involved to face multiple murder charges.

For many residents, these incidents no longer feel isolated.

Parents on edge

Across KZN, scholar transport is a daily necessity. Many families rely on minibus taxis and private buses to get children safely to and from school, especially in areas where public transport options are limited.

But with each new crash, anxiety grows.

On social media, parents expressed heartbreak and frustration. “Every week it’s another accident,” one user posted. Another wrote: “We hand over our children every morning and just pray they come back safely.”

There’s also renewed debate about road safety enforcement, vehicle roadworthiness and driver accountability. Community groups are again calling for stricter monitoring of scholar transport vehicles and harsher penalties for reckless driving.

A deeper road safety problem

KwaZulu-Natal has long battled high road fatality rates. Busy regional routes like the R617 and R102 carry heavy traffic, including taxis, trucks and private vehicles. Add unpredictable weather, ageing infrastructure and tight transport schedules, and the risks multiply.

But when children are involved, the public reaction is different. It cuts deeper.

Each crash chips away at public confidence in a system that families depend on every single school day.

Waiting for answers

For now, investigators are working to determine what caused Tuesday’s collision at the Mphophomeni intersection.

Was it speed? Driver error? Road conditions?

Those details will emerge in time.

What remains is the sobering reality that 16 children were hurt on their way home from school in what should have been an ordinary afternoon commute.

In KwaZulu-Natal, scholar transport accidents are no longer rare headlines. They are becoming a pattern.

And until that pattern is broken, every siren on a school route will carry a little more fear than it should.