DA Gauteng extends condolences to the families of 12 pupils who perished in fiery crash

Issued by Sergio Isa Dos Santos MPL – DA Gauteng Shadow for Education
11 Jul 2024 in Press Statements

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng extends our deepest condolences to the families, friends, fellow pupils, and communities affected by tragic accident involving learners from Rockland Primary School and Laerskool Blyvooruitsig and saw several hospitalised.

In the wake of this saddening event DA urges MEC Chiloane to promptly review the current scholar transport policy, which has failed to adequately serve our learners in the province, leading to numerous fatal car accidents involving learners.

The accident claimed the lives of 11 pupils from Rockland Primary School and one pupil from Laerskool Blyvooruitsig, as well as the life of the driver of a private scholar transport mini-bus they were travelling in. They died after their vehicle was hit from behind by a bakkie in the Kokosi-Wedela area in the Merafong Local Municipality, Gauteng, on Wednesday. Seven other pupils are said to have been hospitalised.

The DA calls on GDE to work together with the investigative authorities to determine the facts surrounding the tragedy and bring the case to a conclusion, as the families of these pupils deserve to know what occurred and if it might have been avoided.

The DA equally expresses its deepest condolences to the families, friends and school affected by the heart-breaking accident involving learners from these two schools and their driver.

As part of our unwavering dedication to securing the future of Gauteng’s children through quality education, we will closely monitor the investigation of this incident and relentlessly pursue the establishment of a reviewed scholar transport policy that not only saves lives but also paves the way for a brighter future for our children.