Parents demand action as Gong-Gong school transport crisis drags on

AS GONG-GONG learners continue to face challenges with learner transport, the Northern Cape Department of Education has indicated that an additional midi-bus will be introduced from Monday, February 3, to help alleviate the situation.

This follows complaints from parents whose children travel to school in Barkly West, urging the department to provide roadworthy learner transport.

The parents claimed that their children were forced to travel in an unroadworthy bus due to a lack of alternative school transport.

They said that after years of complaints about the state of the transport, the department finally terminated its contract with the previous service provider and appointed a new one.

While they acknowledged this was the right decision, they criticised the department for failing to consider the number of pupils reliant on learner transport.

“When schools reopened this year, the community decided to keep the children from attending school because we were tired of sending them in an unroadworthy bus. For many years, our children were forced to use a bus with faulty brakes. This year, we decided we could no longer risk our children’s lives. The department finally responded to our pleas, replaced the service provider, and provided a new bus,” said the parents.

“However, the new bus is too small for the number of children it needs to transport. It is overcrowded, and some children are forced to stand due to a lack of seating. What the department failed to realise is that this transport is not only for the children of Gong-Gong but also for learners from nearby areas,” they pointed out.

The parents added that the travel arrangement has led to additional challenges.

“Currently, primary and high school learners all use the same transport to get to and from school. The issue is that some high school learners bully the younger children. Many primary school learners are crying and refusing to get on the bus because they fear being bullied. This has now created a new problem.

“We appreciate that the department has taken steps to address the issue, but we need a permanent solution - not just a temporary fix to silence us,” they said.

The parents expressed hope that the department would resolve the matter urgently.

“They promised us an additional bus, but it has yet to arrive. The frustration with such promises is that we are left waiting indefinitely. The department does not prioritise some of the problems schools face. They wait until the unthinkable happens before acting. This is a serious issue, and we are toying with the lives of children. No parent wants to send their child to school and then worry about whether they will arrive safely.”

Northern Cape Department of Education spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said that late school admission applications pose a challenge to administrative processes.

“The Northern Cape Department of Education can confirm that our district officials are engaging regularly with the affected schools and parents. The department has to date not received the learner transport application forms from the parents who require transport for their children to and from school on a daily basis. These learners applied late for school admission for the 2025 academic year at schools in Barkly West,” said Van der Merwe.

“The department has engaged the learner transport operator and an additional midi-bus will be placed on the route from next week Monday. Our district office will monitor the situation and continue engaging with the parents on the matter, until it has been resolved,” he added.