The bus driver of the horrific crash that claimed the lives of six learners has been arrested.
This was after allegations that he had fled the scene.
He is currently under police guard in a hospital asĀ families try to comb through the scene and collect whatever was left from the tragedy.
Another traumatic scene of schoolbooks, shoes, stationery and bags scattered around a veld befell the Mpumalanga province.
The bus ferrying the learners from school collided with a moving train on the R104.
More than 20 learners have been hospitalised with some in a critical state in Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The number of fatalities is expected to rise.
Speculation is also rife that the driver may have been under the influence of alcohol and was told that the train was approaching the rail.
Some pupils say they’ve been complaining about the state of the buses and the attitude of some of the drivers.
The MEC for Public Works, Roads and Transport in Mpumalanga, Thulasizwe Thomo, says part of the information they received was that the driver was reckless.
He says they are in the process of checking all the buses contracted with the department in relation to their roadworthiness.
Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, also visited the scene.
He says while road safety remains a great concern for the government, scholar transport safety is a top priority.
“We are looking at the policy in so far as scholar transport is concerned to ensure that a review is conducted and that there is cooperation between the Department of Transport and Basic Education through the national interdepartmental committee. We believe in this programme, currently it is carrying some seven hundred and six thousand learners throughout the country to access education.”
The loss of the young lives is a stark reminder of the country’s escalatingĀ road carnage.
Last month, 12 pupils lost their lives in a scholar transport crash in Carletonville in Gauteng.
Written by: Lindiwe Mpanza
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