A tragic collision between a scholar transport vehicle and a truck in Vanderbijlpark has claimed 14 young lives, with investigations pointing to the driver's attempt to overtake multiple vehicles. Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane expressed devastation and called for stricter oversight of private transport services. President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered condolences and support to affected families.
On the morning of January 19, 2026, a scholar transport vehicle carrying pupils to five different schools collided head-on with a truck in Vanderbijlpark, in the Vaal region of Gauteng province. Preliminary investigations by Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane indicate that the private transport driver was attempting to overtake multiple vehicles at once, likely rushing to make up time. This led to the fatal crash, which initially claimed 13 lives but rose to 14 after another learner succumbed to injuries in hospital.
Five other learners were injured in the accident, with three in critical condition. Chiloane described the province as devastated, stating, “The private scholar transport driver was trying to overtake multiple vehicles at a time. And if you look at the time, he was most probably late to drop off learners because they were going to five different schools so I’m sure he was trying to catch up time. And then as he was trying to overtake a number of vehicles, the truck came on the opposite.” He called for stricter oversight and vigilance around private scholar transport to prevent such tragedies.
President Cyril Ramaphosa extended his condolences to the families and schools, promising necessary psychological support. The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) highlighted the incident as a stark reminder of learner safety issues, with Secretary Graham Fritz urging operators and parents to ensure vehicles are roadworthy and compliant. “We urge scholar transport operators and parents alike to work more diligently and collaboratively to ensure that vehicles transporting learners are roadworthy, compliant and regularly inspected before children are allowed to use them. The safety of learners must always come before convenience or cost,” Fritz said.
The crash underscores ongoing concerns about scholar transport safety in South Africa, where rushed schedules and unroadworthy vehicles have led to multiple fatalities in recent years.
