MEDIA STATEMENT

CHILD KILLERS WILL BE PROSECUTED

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Mr. S'bu Ndebele has promised harsher measures against anyone illegally transporting passengers and has prompted the Department of Education to seriously look into the transportation of school pupils.

"I will not tolerate anymore of this. One death is one too many but one child killed is too much," Ndebele said.

This follows the death of three school children who were killed instantly in a road crash involving a Toyota bakkie at approximately 15h30 today (2003-04-26) along the Greytown/Dundee Road, approximately 13 kilometres from Greytown towards Dundee.

It is alleged that the driver of the bakkie in which approximately seventeen (17) school children were being conveyed, lost control due to a left rear tyre which burst causing the bakkie to overturn. Three children, aged 8, 4 and 12 were killed instantly. The driver of the bakkie and fourteen (14) other learners sustained serious to slight injuries and were admitted to the Greytown Hospital.

Ndebele said that the KZN Department of Transport has already completed a framework for the formalisation and legalisation of scholar transport in the province.

"This crash has once again highlighted the unsafe conditions under which our children are transported to school. We need the urgent co-operation of the Department of Education, parents and school governing bodies to assist in this regard. Parents need to seriously look into how their children are being transported to school. We cannot impose the death sentence on our children by making use of illegal and unsafe modes of transport and supporting those who put profit above the lives of our children. Bakkies were not designed to convey passengers and this is illegal. Our public Transport Enforcement Unit (PTEU) will be stepping up its operations against this illegal activity," Ndebele said.

Ndebele also expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes those injured a speedy recovery.

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