22-Year-Old Driver Arrested After 12 Learners Die in Vaal Collision

• The South Africans Police Service in Gauteng arrested a 22-year-old scholar driver
• The arrest follows a fatal crash near Vanderbijl Park on Monday, 19 January 2026
• Police confirmed that 12 pupils died in the horrific crash after a taxi driver crashed into a truck

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

GAUTENG, VANDERBIJL PARK - Police in Gauteng have arrested a 22-year-old scholar transport driver following a crash in Vanderbijl Park that killed 12 learners on Monday, 19 January 2026.

12 Killed in tragic Vaal crash

The driver was taken into custody after being discharged from the hospital. Police said he is expected to appear in the Vanderbijl Park Magistrates’ Court within 48 hours on charges of 12 counts of culpable homicide, as well as reckless and negligent driving.

Read also

Taxi driver survives horrific Vaal crash as police process case, death toll revised to 12

After visiting hospitals and the mortuary to confirm the number of fatalities and injuries, police confirmed that 12 learners died at the scene. Five injured learners were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, and one has since been discharged.

The truck driver involved in the crash was not injured, while the truck’s passenger sustained injuries and remains in the hospital. Police said investigations were continuing and that officers were in the process of obtaining witness statements.

Eyewitness descibes horrific scene

An eyewitness said he saw the moments leading up to the collision between a truck and a scholar transport vehicle that claimed the lives of 12 pupils. He said the scholar transport, a minibus taxi, had overtaken his vehicle and about four other cars. He said he had initially tried to reduce his speed to avoid the accident and to give the taxi driver some space.

Another witness, Mxolisi Jakozela, said people quickly began arriving at the scene after the collision. He said it was distressing to see children lying on the road and added that one pupil, a girl who survived the crash, was standing nearby and crying. The death toll initially stood at 11 but later increased to 12. The driver of the scholar transport survived the crash. Jakozela said he saw the taxi driver standing with his hands on his head after the horrific crash. He described the scene as very painful, and all he could do was to cry.

Read also

‘Nothing will bring us peace’: Mom mourns two children lost in Vanderbijlpark crash

What you need to know about the crash

• Briefly News also reported that the Mayor of Emuleni, Sipho Radebe, has weighed in on the deadly accident which claimed the lives of 12 children in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.
• Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has weighed in on the fatal Vaal accident that left 12 schoolchildren dead.
• Gauteng Education Member of the Executive Committee (MEC) Matome Chiloane provided an update on the fatal crash.
• President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed his condolences after 12 children died during an accident in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.
• Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) has begun conducting citywide inspections on scholar transport vehicles.

Source: Briefly News