Chiloane said the early findings suggest the driver may have been rushing to drop off learners at five different schools and attempted a risky overtaking manoeuvre on a two‑way road.
“The private scholar transport driver was trying to overtake multiple vehicles at a time,” he explained. “If you look at the time, he was most probably late to drop off the learners because they were going to five different schools, so I’m sure he was trying to catch up.”
As the taxi moved into the oncoming lane, it collided head‑on with a truck. The impact caused devastating loss of life at the scene. Chiloane warned that the death toll could still rise due to the critical condition of some of the injured learners.
The MEC expressed deep concern about the continued use of unsafe and unregulated scholar transport services and said the provincial department would continue engaging with authorities and communities to strengthen oversight and improve learner safety.
–SABC/ChannelAfrica–
