Calls for accountability grow as Vanderbijlpark driver faces serious charges in school tragedy
Scores of community members gathered outside the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court for the appearance of the 22-year-old driver who has since abandoned his bail application.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
The MMC for Transport in Sedibeng Local Municipality, Nkosinathi Ndwandwe, has called on the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court to consider a harsher sentence against the 22-year-old scholar transport driver linked to the deaths of 14 learners.
This comes as the 22-year-old, Ayanda Dludla, withdrew his bail application, with his return to court scheduled for March 5.
Dludla was formally charged on multiple counts of murder arising from the widely condemned vehicle crash on Monday.
Outside the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court, a significant crowd of community members, leaders, and various stakeholders assembled, necessitating a temporary pause in court proceedings to accommodate the overwhelming support for justice.
As tensions escalated, Ndwandwe expressed profound sorrow over the deaths of two more learners on Thursday, who had succumbed to their injuries while in hospital.
He emphatically called for Dludla to face the full extent of the law, condemning his actions as reckless and negligent.
Concerned community members and community group leaders gathered outside the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court ahead of the court appearance of the 22-year-old scholar transport driver linked to the deaths of 14 learners.
Image: Siyabonga Sithole
Ndwandwe expressed heartbreak over two more children dying, offered condolences, and opposed bail for the suspect due to reckless driving.
"We are calling for the court not release this man on bail. There should be a harsher sentence against him because he has proven to be negligent and shown that he is hard-hearted."
Ayanda Dludla, the 22-year-old scholar transport driver, has abandoned his bail application after his appearance at the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
Ndwande further welcomed Thursday's scholar transport operation, conducted by Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy, alongside law enforcement agencies in Lenasia, saying his department will also clamp down on non-compliance, as South African drivers seem to display high levels of intolerance on the roads.
"There should be no bail for this young man, as we want the law to take its full course, as he has proven himself to be negligent. Furthermore, our operations have revealed that South African drivers are intolerant and fail to observe the rules of the law. It is something that needs to come to an end," he stated.
This operation in Lenasia reportedly resulted in the impounding of over 60 scholar transport vehicles for non-compliance, underscoring ongoing concerns regarding safety in the sector.
Ndwandwe welcomed the initiative, saying: "We have been conducting road and driver campaigns ahead of the festive season. Ill-discipline motivates reckless actions, and as a parent myself, I support calls for the young man to rot in jail."
The Gauteng Department of Education released the names of the 12 learners who were killed in a scholar transport crash in Vanderbijlpark.
Image: Supplied
Samuel Koenane, chairperson of the Sedibeng Learner Transport Association, echoed Ndwandwe's plea for justice, emphasising that despite the clear constitutional obligations for drivers to ensure passenger safety, the accused had failed to uphold these rules.
"Unfortunately, we do not have power over the justice system. The justice system is the one that needs to decide on the matter," Koenane remarked.
He continued: "We are living in a democratic state, and the law must take its course because this is an act of negligence and non-compliance."
His words encapsulate the community’s desire for accountability and meaningful consequences for reckless behaviour.
The death of the two learners was confirmed by Gauteng police spokesperson, LT Colonel Mavela Masondo, who revealed that, as a result of the latest deaths, Dludla will now face 14 counts of culpable homicide, which was changed to murder in court.
"The 22-year-old scholar transport driver is now facing 14 counts of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving after two more learners died in hospital in the early hours of Thursday, 22 January 2026," Masondo said.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za