Academics’ blame game after transport accidents helps no one

Deputy Transport Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa briefed Parliament’s Select Committee on Education, Science and Creative Industries on Tuesday.

Hlengwa said jumping to conclusions only served to compromise police investigations.

“What we really want is to stay out of the political arena, out of the departmental space, out of the oversight space, to say let’s not pronounce ourselves with assumptions or conclusions about what might have caused the accident. “Such speculation that we see as an immediate reaction to an accident is fundamentally problematic,” Hlengwa told MPs.

Hlengwa explained that the department and the Road Traffic Management Authority had reached an agreement to improve academic transport safety.

Student safety on the country’s roads hit the headlines recently when 11 students and a driver died when the taxi they were traveling in rolled over and caught fire.

“This will enable us to be aware of any incidents related to the transportation of academics and assist other stakeholders in the investigation process,” Hlengwa said.

During the briefing, Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube said the aim of the National Student Scholarship Transport Program was to provide easy, safe and punctual mobility for students in need.

However, he also admitted that the system faces many problems.

“The scientist transportation model – number one, it’s not consistent across the country. “Secondly, it didn’t work out very well in some cases,” he said.

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