The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) calls for a comprehensive and urgent investigation into the horrific road accident involving a truck and a scholar transport minibus in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, which tragically claimed the lives of thirteen (13) learners.

According to reports, the minibus transporting learners from Sebokeng to various schools in Vanderbijlpark attempted to overtake multiple vehicles before colliding head-on with an oncoming truck. This reckless sequence of events resulted in a devastating loss of young lives and has left families and communities shattered.

The IFP urges law enforcement authorities to establish, without delay, whether the minibus was roadworthy, legally compliant, and fit to transport learners, including whether it adhered to all traffic and transport regulations.

We remain deeply concerned by the recurring pattern of fatal road accidents across South Africa. Accountability must not be placed solely on drivers. Vehicle owners, operators, and transport companies must be held fully liable where negligence, overloading, or non-compliance is identified. Lives are lost when profit is placed above safety.

The IFP further urges parents and scholar transport operators to exercise heightened vigilance and responsibility, ensuring that vehicles transporting children are roadworthy, properly maintained, and not overloaded. The safety of learners must never be compromised.

This tragic incident is particularly disturbing as it undermines the progress made by law enforcement agencies, who succeeded in reducing road fatalities by 5% during the recent festive season. Such preventable tragedies reverse these hard-won gains and expose persistent failures in transport safety, compliance, and enforcement. Most accidents of this nature are not unavoidable — they are preventable tragedies that point to systemic weaknesses which demand decisive action.

The Inkatha Freedom Party extends its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased learners, their classmates, educators, and the broader community affected by this devastating loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families during this unimaginably painful time, and we wish a speedy recovery to those who sustained injuries.

Issued by IFP Chief Whip in the National Assembly Nhlanhla Hadebe