Tshwane moves fast on illegal scholar transport after Vanderbijlpark tragedy

The shockwaves from the Vanderbijlpark scholar transport tragedy, which claimed the lives of 14 young children, are now being felt across Gauteng and authorities say they are done turning a blind eye.

In the days following the horrific head-on crash on the R553 Golden Highway, the City of Tshwane has launched a visible crackdown on illegal and unroadworthy scholar transport vehicles, responding to growing public anger and renewed calls for accountability.

Unroadworthy vehicles taken off the road

The Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) confirmed that its Public Transport Unit impounded 20 minibuses found transporting schoolchildren while either being unroadworthy or driven by operators without the required licences.

The operations were carried out across Olivenhoutbosch and Montana over Wednesday and Thursday, areas where scholar transport has long raised safety concerns among parents.

According to the TMPD, the focus was simple: remove unsafe vehicles before another family is forced to bury a child.

“This initiative is vital in protecting the lives of young passengers who depend on these vehicles for their daily school commute,” the department said.

‘No leniency’ warning to operators

Officials were blunt about what lies ahead for non-compliant drivers.

“There will be no leniency for any driver who poses a danger to the lives of innocent passengers,” TMPD warned, adding that all scholar transport operators must comply fully with road traffic laws or face serious consequences.

For many parents, the statement was long overdue. On social media, frustration has been building for years, with families repeatedly warning about overloaded vehicles, reckless driving and poorly maintained minibuses.

Crackdown spreads beyond Tshwane

The enforcement drive has not been limited to Pretoria. On Thursday, more than 60 scholar transport vehicles were impounded during a separate blitz in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg.

The operation, led by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, followed the same Vanderbijlpark crash that claimed the 14 young lives earlier this week.

Inspectors uncovered shocking violations. An overloaded Suzuki Ertiga, licensed to carry just seven passengers, was found transporting 14 schoolchildren. In another case, a bus approved for 60 pupils was stopped while carrying 98 children.

The scenes reinforced what many parents already fear that daily school trips have become a gamble with children’s lives.

Driver abandons bail bid

Meanwhile, the legal fallout from the Vanderbijlpark crash continues.

The 22-year-old scholar transport driver, Ayanda Dludla, arrested in connection with the collision, has abandoned his bid for bail. He appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where proceedings were briefly delayed due to the absence of legal representation.

Dludla faces 14 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and charges related to driving without a valid Professional Driving Permit (PDP) and operating an unlicensed vehicle.

The case has been postponed to 5 March 2026.

A reckoning long overdue

For many South Africans, the Vanderbijlpark tragedy has become a grim turning point. While enforcement blitzes often follow deadly crashes, public pressure this time feels different louder, angrier and more personal.

Parents, teachers and community leaders are demanding sustained action, not temporary crackdowns. The message from the streets and social media is clear: children’s lives cannot be treated as collateral damage of weak regulation.

Whether this moment leads to lasting reform or fades once headlines move on remains to be seen. But for now, at least, unsafe scholar transport vehicles are being forced off the road and that alone may save lives.

{Source: The Citizen}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com