By Thebe Mabanga
Four victims of the scholar transport accident that claimed 14 lives in the Vaal last Monday were laid to rest on Sunday.
Leano Moiloa, who had turned 14 exactly a week before the tragedy, was buried in Sebokeng. Thato Moetji, who was due to turn 17 next week, Ofentse Vinger (6) and Bokamoso Mokhobo (13) were laid to rest at a joint funeral held at the Soul Tsotestsi Sports Ground.
The funeral was attended by several dignitaries, including army chaplains, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga, Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane and Roads and Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela.
Sedibeng executive mayor Lerato Maloka and Emfuleni executive mayor Sipho Radebe were also present.
Renowned preacher Bishop Maratehi Seleke officiated at the service, alongside representatives from school governing bodies, the South African Principals’ Association, funeral undertakers, and taxi and scholar transport associations.
Industry associations used the occasion to pledge concrete measures aimed at improving road safety. The taxi industry, while acknowledging the Gauteng government’s efforts to formalise and regulate the sector — including cashless systems and scheduled services — said these interventions would contribute to improved safety.
In her tribute, Chikunga spoke of “14 bright mornings, 14 incomplete notebooks and 14 dreams” cut short by the tragedy. She delivered a stern message to the taxi industry, warning that they “do not carry loads, but carry futures,” and cautioned that if safety and driver conduct were not improved, operators must “step up or step aside.”
She further urged law enforcement to leave no stone unturned in investigating the incident, adding that “if crimes were committed, they must be prosecuted without fear or favour.”
Chikunga also noted that, in her capacity as minister responsible for youth, she bore responsibility for the driver at the centre of the tragedy, 22-year-old Ayanda Dludla, who remains in custody after abandoning his bail application.
She said Dludla must be held accountable for his actions and face consequences, but stressed that there should also be room for rehabilitation and education to prevent other young drivers from repeating the same mistakes.
“Accountability is part of healing. Justice has mercy,” she said.
Chiloane praised businesses — led by the Vaal Undertakers Forum and the scholar transport association — as well as individual businesspeople who contributed to the funerals, including those who assisted with burials outside the province.
He also paid tribute to his department’s teams for providing psychosocial support to affected families and schools, noting that “our grief is collective, and the call for change is non-negotiable.”
Lesufi opened his eulogy with hymn 110, Holokile (“All Is Well”), and called for a broader overhaul of the schooling system so that parents are not forced to enrol children in schools far from home.
He told the families that “this is not their pain to bear” but rather to be shared.
Various clergy and gospel artists contributed to different parts of the service, while a local tombstone company donated tombstones.
The learners were laid to rest at Jacobskop and Vanderbijlpark cemeteries.
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