By Thapelo Molefe
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday demanded urgent reforms to South Africa’s scholar transport system following the deaths of 12 pupils in a devastating crash on Monday, warning that government and society “cannot let this tragedy just pass”.
Addressing delegates on day two of the 2026 Basic Education Sector Lekgotla, Ramaphosa opened his speech by returning the national focus to the accident that has plunged families, schools and communities into mourning. He asked delegates to observe a moment of silence in honour of the children who died while travelling to school.
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“Children are not meant to be buried by their parents,” Ramaphosa said. “We cannot accept that young lives are put at risk in such a horrific way as they seek the growth and enrichment that an education should provide them.”
The president said the tragedy highlighted deep failures in the scholar transport system and stressed that access to education must extend beyond classrooms to include safe, reliable and dignified transport.
He said decisive action was needed to prevent similar incidents, describing learner safety as a non-negotiable responsibility of the state.
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Ramaphosa said the deaths should serve as a turning point, forcing authorities to confront long-standing weaknesses in school transport, particularly in rural and township areas where learners often rely on poorly regulated or unsafe vehicles.
“We must draw lessons from this tragedy, and we must act now, together, to ensure that school transport is safe and reliable,” he said, calling for coordinated action across government departments.
The president linked the issue of transport safety to broader concerns about learner welfare, saying that quality education is impossible if children are exposed to danger simply getting to and from school.
He said government had a duty to protect learners not only academically, but physically and emotionally.
His remarks came as education leaders from across the country gathered to reflect on system performance and priorities for 2026 under the theme Strengthening Foundations for a Resilient and Future-Ready Education System.
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Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, who addressed delegates before the president, also conveyed government’s condolences to the affected families and schooling communities.
She said the sector was once again confronted with the urgent need to ensure learner safety, particularly in relation to scholar transport.
Ramaphosa said learner deaths on the way to school exposed a painful contradiction in the education system, where efforts to expand access and improve outcomes are undermined by basic safety failures.
“We cannot build a future-ready education system while children are dying on their way to learn,” he said.
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