A Grade 6 learner from Modiselle Primary school in Ga-Rankuwa outside Pretoria tragically died after he fell off his scholar transport and the rear wheels ran over him resulting in his death. The incident happened on Thursday afternoon when the kids were being ferried to their homes.

The Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has expressed his sadness over the incident. "Indeed, this is terribly saddening news. Scholar transport is an initiative that forms part of our critical interventions to alleviate pressure from parents. As such, we expect our learners to be safely transported from home to school and back home. We call upon drivers to be extra vigilant of learner's safety. We wish to convey our deepest condolences to the family and the school community," said Chiloane. He said that the police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, adding that the department's psycho-social support team visited the scene of the incident and subsequently the learner's family.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation has said that the safety of children remains a priority and law enforcement authorities will remain vigilant throughout the year to deal with non-compliant operators. The Corporation said however, parents also have a responsibility to ensure that the transport operators they choose are fit for purpose and licensed to transport their children safely to school. In a back-to-school campaign the RTMC said a total of 167 drivers were arrested for, among others, drunken driving, driving while having no driving licence and operating a public transport vehicle in violation of operating permit regulations. "The campaign has highlighted that many scholar transport drivers were driving without fastening seatbelts, some do not have professional drivers' permits, their vehicles were not licensed, while other vehicles had defects such as cracked windscreens, smooth tyres and faulty brakes. The department of education postponed their visit to the school and family of the Deceased learner.