Authorities Seize Risky Scholar Transport Vehicles After Vanderbijlpark Crash

Published 22 Jan 2026 at 11:12 AM

by Mbalenhle Butale

3 min read

Authorities in Johannesburg and Limpopo are cracking down on unsafe scholar transport vehicles following the tragic Vanderbijlpark crash that killed 14 learners
30 unroadworthy vehicles were impounded in Johannesburg and 11 in Polokwane, Limpopo, during recent compliance operations
Families are demanding a full overhaul of the scholar transport system, citing ongoing safety concerns and a lack of trust in current services

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Authorities impounded unsafe scholar transport — Authorities impound unsafe scholar transport vehicles across provinces after Vaal crash. Image: Anthony Devlin/ Getty Images and John Mkhize/ Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

Transport authorities have stepped up enforcement against unsafe scholar transport vehicles following the tragic Vaal crash in which 14 learners were killed when a school taxi collided with a side tipper.

In Johannesburg, authorities impounded 30 scholar transport vehicles that were found to be unroadworthy and unsafe to carry schoolchildren on Thursday, 22 January 2026. This follows renewed and urgent calls for authorities to fix the broken scholar transport system that places many children's lives in jeopardy.

Limpopo impounds 11 scholar transport vehicles

The crackdown has now spread beyond Johannesburg. In Limpopo, the Department of Transport and Community Safety impounded 11 scholar transport vehicles during a compliance operation in Ladanna, Polokwane, on Wednesday, 21 January 2026. The Limpopo Chronicle reported that officials said the vehicles were operating in violation of transport laws, including failure to meet permit conditions, roadworthiness standards, and safety regulations for transporting learners.

Government clamps down on scholar transport

Following the Vanderbijlpark tragedy, the Gauteng government began an intense crackdown where they impounded 16 unroadworthy vehicles and arrested five people, with three arrested for bribery on Tuesday, 20 January 2026. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said, during a media briefing, that the heightened enforcement aims to remove unsafe scholar transport vehicles and improve compliance with transport laws to better protect learners on the roads. He further said the government has made it its top priority to ensure that the families who lost children in the Vanderbijlpark tragedy were supported.

More Briefly News reports on school transport following the tragedy

Previously, Briefly News reported that the families of the children killed in the tragic Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash are demanding that the country’s scholar transport system be scrapped because they feel it fails to protect learners. The crash, in which a scholar transport minibus collided with a truck and resulted in 12 learners’ deaths and several injuries has intensified calls for fundamental reform of how school transport is regulated and operated. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Gauteng officials met grieving families, but some parents remain furious and want the entire system overhauled.

A family that lost two sons in the tragic Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash on 19 January 2026 said their trust in the scholar transport service was shattered, noting they had relied on the vehicle for nearly a year without knowing its condition. The family described the loss of their boys’ (7-year-old Lesego Sefatsa and 18-year- old Phehello Motaung) plans. They said Lesego’s dream was to be a pilot, and Phehello’s goal was to study law. The loss is deeply painful, and they feel the system failed to protect their children.