Parliament of South Africa
Parliament of South Africa
01/21/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/21/2026 02:43
Media Statement: Standing Committee on Appropriations Calls for Urgent Engagement on Scholar Transport Following Tragic Accident
Parliament, Wednesday, 21 January 2026 - The Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, Dr Mmusi Maimane, has expressed profound shock and sadness following a devastating road accident involving a private scholar transport vehicle, which claimed the lives of 13 school learners from the Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark areas of Gauteng.
Dr Maimane and members of the committee convey their heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, schools and communities affected by this tragic loss. Dr Maimane described the incident as a painful reminder of the daily dangers facing many learners as they try to access education.
"This tragedy should never have happened. The loss of young lives in this manner is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing and highlights long-standing and systemic challenges in scholar transport across the country. Through its oversight work, including a recent oversight visit in the Eastern Cape, the committee repeatedly identified scholar transport as a critical weakness that undermines learners' constitutional right to basic education and places their safety at unacceptable risks," said Dr Maimane.
Dr Maimane said the committee is of the firm view that public funding of scholar transport is a critical and urgent matter that requires coordinated national intervention. In this regard, the Standing Committee on Appropriations has formally requested an urgent engagement with the Department of Transport, the Department of Basic Education, and all nine provincial MECs for Education to address scholar transport provision, safety standards, funding adequacy and regulatory oversight.
"The committee has observed consistent patterns across provinces, including insufficient funding for scholar transport, limited coverage that forces learners to walk long distances, and the use of unsafe or unregulated private transport. Where transport is provided, there are ongoing concerns about overcrowding, unroadworthy vehicles and inadequately licenced drivers," Dr Maimane said. He stressed that these challenges cannot be addressed by provinces acting in isolation and require a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach between national and provincial government departments.
"We must work together to find long-term, sustainable solutions that ensure learner transport is safe, dependable, properly regulated and adequately funded. If we fail to act with urgency, we risk more preventable tragedies like this one," he warned.
Dr Maimane concluded by saying that the Standing Committee on Appropriations expects this matter to receive serious consideration during the upcoming budget process and is hopeful that the Minister of Finance will consider the urgent need to strengthen funding and oversight for scholar transport when tabling the 2026 National Budget.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, DR MMUSI MAIMANE.
For media enquiries or interviews with the committee Chairperson, please contact:
Name: Jabulani Majozi (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
Cell: 083 358 5224
E-mail: [email protected]
Dr Maimane and members of the committee convey their heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, schools and communities affected by this tragic loss. Dr Maimane described the incident as a painful reminder of the daily dangers facing many learners as they try to access education.
"This tragedy should never have happened. The loss of young lives in this manner is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing and highlights long-standing and systemic challenges in scholar transport across the country. Through its oversight work, including a recent oversight visit in the Eastern Cape, the committee repeatedly identified scholar transport as a critical weakness that undermines learners' constitutional right to basic education and places their safety at unacceptable risks," said Dr Maimane.
Dr Maimane said the committee is of the firm view that public funding of scholar transport is a critical and urgent matter that requires coordinated national intervention. In this regard, the Standing Committee on Appropriations has formally requested an urgent engagement with the Department of Transport, the Department of Basic Education, and all nine provincial MECs for Education to address scholar transport provision, safety standards, funding adequacy and regulatory oversight.
"The committee has observed consistent patterns across provinces, including insufficient funding for scholar transport, limited coverage that forces learners to walk long distances, and the use of unsafe or unregulated private transport. Where transport is provided, there are ongoing concerns about overcrowding, unroadworthy vehicles and inadequately licenced drivers," Dr Maimane said. He stressed that these challenges cannot be addressed by provinces acting in isolation and require a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach between national and provincial government departments.
"We must work together to find long-term, sustainable solutions that ensure learner transport is safe, dependable, properly regulated and adequately funded. If we fail to act with urgency, we risk more preventable tragedies like this one," he warned.
Dr Maimane concluded by saying that the Standing Committee on Appropriations expects this matter to receive serious consideration during the upcoming budget process and is hopeful that the Minister of Finance will consider the urgent need to strengthen funding and oversight for scholar transport when tabling the 2026 National Budget.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, DR MMUSI MAIMANE.
For media enquiries or interviews with the committee Chairperson, please contact:
Name: Jabulani Majozi (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
Cell: 083 358 5224
E-mail: [email protected]
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