Forty-two primary school children were found squeezed into a minibus taxi when the City of Cape Town’s Traffic Services pulled the vehicle over on the morning of Tuesday, July 16.
“Officers observed the vehicle travelling at high speed, cutting in between vehicles and overtaking on solid white lines. He also tried to evade a vehicle checkpoint,” the City’s Traffic Services spokesperson, Richard Coleman, said. “The vehicle was stopped at the corner of Symphony Way and Stellenbosch Arterial. Officers then discovered that the vehicle was heavily overloaded, unroadworthy and that the driver has six outstanding warrants totalling just shy of R20 000.”
“This is a carbon copy of an incident just yesterday, where another taxi driver was arrested for reckless and negligent driving on the N1, with 22 primary school learners in his vehicle,” he added.
The driver had no license or permit and had four outstanding warrants amounting to R11 400.
“The behaviour of these drivers is extremely concerning, and the Traffic Service appeals to transport operators to take into consideration the lives of their young passengers, but also other road users,” Coleman said. “To parents, we ask that they please be vigilant about their children’s school transport arrangements and to report any concerns to the City’s Traffic Service on 021 480 7700.”
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