President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for urgent and coordinated action to improve scholar transport safety following a tragic accident that claimed the lives of pupils travelling to school in Vanderbijlpark earlier this week.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 2026 Basic Education Sector Lekgotla in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, on Wednesday, the President said the loss of young lives has deeply affected the nation.
“We are immensely and deeply pained, and I'm glad that the Minister [of Basic Education] went to visit the families of the children. There's nothing as painful as having to deal with the death of your prized possession -- your child. [They] are still young, and you have to bury [them],” he said.
President Ramaphosa said the visit by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube was important to convey all of government’s compassion for the affected families.
He said the tragedy had once again brought into sharp focus the challenges around scholar transport.
The President reflected on how other countries manage learner transport and contrasted it with South Africa’s current system.
“In other countries, there are these wonderful buses that are clearly written 'school bus', where a number of children get in and they travel, not at breakneck speeds. The drivers are well trained, and we have inherited a system where there has been no real public transport for children to attend school. The taxi system then integrated itself in transporting children, and it's been good, because we have been able to transport children to school,” President Ramaphosa said.
He said government needs to engage closely with all role players to improve safety.
President Ramaphosa highlighted government’s efforts to expand scholar transport, particularly in rural areas and townships.
“One of the things we've done is to offer scholar transport to children in the rural areas and in the townships... I used to walk five kilometres every day to go to school and today we try to make the burden of going to school lighter on our children,” the President said.
He said while progress has been made, risks remain.
“I'm going to be directing the Minister and... all other [relevant Ministers] to look at how we can save the lives of our children.
“Our children are the future, and they are the most prized possession that we have as a nation,” he said.
While delivering his address earlier at the Lekgotla, President Ramaphosa said the tragedy underscored the need for urgent action to ensure learner safety.
“We cannot accept that young lives are put at risk as they seek the growth and enrichment that an education provides. We cannot let this tragedy pass. We need to act now and we need to act together to ensure that scholar transport is safe and reliable,” the President said.
National disaster declaration
Responding to questions on the classification of a National Disaster following severe weather and widespread flooding, President Ramaphosa said government systems have been activated.
He said government’s integrated approach enabled a swift response.
“With the integration that I have enforced and engendered, we're able to get government departments working together. As soon as something like this happens, we get together various departments, and they... come up with plans.
“They are discussed, adopted, activated and money is made available. We then do remedial work to deal with the disaster damage,” President Ramaphosa said.
World Economic Forum
On his absence from the World Economic Forum taking place in Davos, the President said domestic priorities, including preparations for the Cabinet Lekgotla and the State of the Nation Address, had taken precedence, but South Africa was well represented.
"I have a very strong team. The Ministers of Finance, Trade, Industry and Competition, Tourism and Electricity are all there. They are a solid team,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za
