By Peggie Mars
Founder, Wheel Well – Child Road Safety NGO

 KwaZulu-Natal Is Sacrificing Our Children for a Balanced Ledger.

The Numbers of a Crisis

In a briefing that should have sent shockwaves through every home in South Africa, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has confirmed a catastrophic collapse of the scholar transport system.

The budget has been slashed from R669 million to R366 million. To meet this cut, the department is removing 201 buses and 28 taxis from its fleet.

The human cost? 44,000 learners. Starting now, 44,000 children who rely on government transport to access their constitutional right to education are being told to “find their own way.” In a province where rural learners often face 10km to 15km treks through dangerous terrain, this isn’t just a budget cut—it is an eviction from the classroom.

A Message from Wheel Well: Our Children Are Not Negotiable

“At Wheel Well, we have spent years as the only NGO in South Africa focusing exclusively on road safety for children. We know that the most dangerous part of a child’s day is their commute to school. By stripping away vetted, regulated transport, the government is essentially forcing 44,000 children into the ‘informal’ transport sector—overcrowded bakkies, unroadworthy vehicles, and ‘shadow’ operators who answer to no one. We are not just looking at a budget shortfall; we are looking at a massive spike in child fatalities on our roads. We cannot advocate for road safety on one hand while the state actively removes the safest options for our most vulnerable citizens on the other.” Peggie Mars, Founder of Wheel Well

Lest We Forget: January 19, 2026

We must not treat these numbers as mere statistics. We have already seen the price of “making do.”

On January 19, 2026, just three months ago, South Africa mourned the loss of 14 learners in a horrific scholar transport crash. That tragedy was a result of a system where regulation is weak and desperation is high. By removing department-vetted transport, the KZN government is setting the stage for the next January 19th. Every child forced to hitchhike or walk along a high-speed provincial road is a tragedy waiting to happen.

Education is a Right. Safety is a Right.

Section 29 of our Constitution does not say children have the right to education if the budget allows. It says they have the right to Basic Education. When a child cannot physically reach a school because the state has withdrawn its support, that right is being violated. When a child is forced to walk through high-crime areas or cross flooded rivers because the bus was cancelled, their right to Safety and Security (Section 12) is being violated.

A Call for Immediate Intervention

We do not need “pearl-clutching” or “deep concern.” We need the budget to be restored. We need the fleet to be reinstated.

• To Siviwe Gwarube, Minister of Basic Education: Your department cannot achieve “Quality Education” if the learners aren’t in the building. Intervene in KZN now.
• To Barbara Creecy, Minister of Transport: Safety on our roads starts with safe, regulated scholar transport. You cannot allow 44,000 children to become “road statistics.”

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government of Unity (GPU) and the National Government must find the R300 million shortfall. We find billions for bailouts and “compensation adjustments”, we can find the money to keep our children safe and in school.

The buses must run. The children must learn. Immediate action, not excuses.

#ScholarTransportCrisis #KZNEducation #WheelWell #RoadSafety #SouthAfrica #RightToEducation #InterveneNow