Pupils brave heat, traffic to walk to school after buses let them down

A 7km walk along the busy N11 freeway in the blazing sun resulted in mud-caked, tired and sweaty — but determined — pupils arriving for school on Thursday.

The Mpumalanga pupils were left stranded for the second day when their scholar transport service providers stopped work due to nonpayment.

A Mkhulu Combined School's Grade 12 pupil said he had left his home at 7am and it took him more than an hour to get to the school.

“I left my home at 7am because the sun was already out. It is not safe because we walk next to a freeway where cars are speeding and overtaking. I'm afraid they may lose control and hit us,” said the pupil who asked not to be named.

“Now that we missed classes for two days, teachers will want us to stay for extra class and after that we will have to walk home again — and it will be late by then,” he said.

More than 500 scholar transport operators across the province took a resolution to stop work, leaving thousands of children stranded.

Some pupils used bicycles to reach the school on Goedehoop farm along the N11 to Loskop Dam.

Leti Sihlangu, who was walking her daughter to Mkhulu Combined School, which is 22km north of Middelburg town, expressed disappointment.

“It is painful that the children are unable to go to school, and instead of going to work, I am now accompanying my child to school. I had to call my boss last night [Wednesday] to tell her that I would not be at work because of this situation,” Sihlangu said.

She said it had taken an hour to get to school. The school serves children living on nearby farms and surrounding rural settlements such as Piet Tlou.

Another parent, Sarah Ntshoane, said: “I left my place at 6.30am and got here at 7.30am. I went to meet other children halfway to ensure that they got to school safely.”

Mkhulu Combined School's SGB chairperson Skhumbuzo Mabaso said some pupils had walked up to 7km to the school.

“With the parents that are here we will head to the department of public works to demand that they pay the service providers because children cannot walk so far to get to school. Some live 15km away and I don’t think they will come,” he said.

Provincial Small Bus Operators Association secretary Sipho Mndebele said there was a meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon with the department of public works.

Departmental spokesperson Bongani Dhlamini confirmed the meeting.

“We will issue a statement after the meeting,” said Dhlamini.

On Wednesday, he said the delay was due to the cut-off date of the financial year, which concluded in March. He said the department was also implementing a new financial system. 

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