Ahead of Budget 2026, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Appropriations says it is confident that Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana will consider the urgent need to strengthen funding and oversight for scholar transport when tabling the National Budget.

Godongwana will deliver the National Budget Speech on February 25.

Committee chairperson Dr Mmusi Maimane expressed shock and sadness following a fatal road accident involving a private scholar transport vehicle, which claimed the lives of 13 school learners from the Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark areas of Gauteng.

The Standing Committee on Appropriations said public funding of scholar transport was a “critical and urgent matter” that needed coordinated national intervention.

Maimane noted ongoing concerns about overcrowding, unroadworthy vehicles and inadequately licensed drivers and said these challenges could not be addressed by provinces acting in isolation.

A collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach between national and provincial government departments was needed, he stated.

The committee requested an urgent meeting with the Department of Transport, the Department of Basic Education, and all nine provincial MECs for Education to address scholar transport provision, safety standards, funding adequacy and regulatory oversight.

The committee said it had observed “consistent patterns” across provinces, including insufficient funding for scholar transport, limited coverage that forced learners to walk long distances, and the use of unsafe or unregulated private transport.

Maimane and members of the committee conveyed condolences to the families, friends, schools and communities affected by the accident and said it was a painful reminder of the daily dangers that many learners face.

“This tragedy should never have happened. The loss of young lives in this manner is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing and highlights long-standing and systemic challenges in scholar transport across the country,” he stated.

Maimane pointed out that through its oversight work, including a recent oversight visit in the Eastern Cape, the committee repeatedly identified scholar transport as a critical weakness that undermined learners’ constitutional right to basic education and placed their safety at risk.

“We must work together to find long-term, sustainable solutions that ensure learner transport is safe, dependable, properly regulated and adequately funded. If we fail to act with urgency, we risk more preventable tragedies like this one,” he warned.

Meanwhile, in response to the accident, the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) has activated its Student Counselling and Support services.

VUT said it would make counselling and psychosocial support available to bereaved families, learners and community members who may need individual counselling or group debriefing.

Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa have instructed traffic law enforcement agencies, including the Road Traffic Management Corporation and National Traffic Police, to intensify law enforcement operations with a specific focus on scholar transport throughout the country.

These enforcement operations will intensify the focus on overloading, roadworthiness and speeding.