28 Jul 2026

It is not sustainable for the government to take the responsibility of introducing safe and student friendly buses as there are already some existing laws and policies in place to ensure safety of passengers is not compromised, says Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Mr Moeti Mohwasa.

He said this in Parliament on July 27, when debating a motion tabled by the MP for Maun West, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama, which requested the house to resolve that the government should introduce safe and student-friendly school buses by establishing a comprehensive nationwide policy framework to ensure the safety, efficiency and accessibility of school transportation.

Mr Mohwasa, a specially elected MP, argued that there were some acts such as Road Traffic Act and Road Transport Permits Act among others that prioritised safety.

Introducing buses, he said, would be a major burden to government and called the mover of the motion to revisit and redefine it as it was silent and confusing, but appreciated that the majority in the house agreed that there was a problem in the society as far as transporting of school children using donkey carts was concerned.

Mr Mohwasa stressed that the issue at hand was being addressed as the government had decided to abolish the use of donkey carts for transporting school children, instructing local councils to replace them with safe, roadworthy and covered motor vehicles to ensure safety was not compromised.

The government, he said was equally concerned that learners were vulnerable and exposed to the risk of traffic crashes and harsh weather conditions, hence an instruction to ensure the protection and well-being of learners during transportation.

“Every parent shares the goal of ensuring their children travel to and from school safely and it seems this motion seeks to ensure transporting children becomes the responsibility of the government. This will be impossible because it is not sustainable,” he added.

MP for Kgalagadi South, Mr Tokyo Modise, who supported the motion, stated that some councils were at an advanced stage in implementing the Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs instruction of abolishing the use of donkey carts, citing the Tsabong District Council, which he said had started transporting some learners using safer transport.

He wished the council could extend the assistance to learners at secondary school, acknowledging that the donkey cart transportation was exposing learners to safety risks, including adverse weather conditions.

Nata/Gweta MP and also Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Lawrence Ookeditse argued that the motion was proper, stating that a secure child transportation ecosystem relied on vehicle integrity, driver accountability and supervision, hence it was crucial for the government to consider providing safer transportation.

No one, he said was blaming relevant ministries for failure to implement existing laws and policies, noting that at the moment, children were suffering because they were not using a mode of transport that was safe, hence the motion called for the government to re-look at the matter. While he appreciated that the local councils had been instructed to identify and implement modern, safe and appropriate means of transporting learners, he noted that the motion did not refer to government alone but it called for a policy framework to guide even private transportation.

“Although some legislators restricted their debates to the use of donkey carts, we should understand that the government has a duty to ensure that even private school buses are regulated properly because some transportations do play loud music exposing children to social ills such as smoking and drinking,” he noted.

Kgalagadi North MP,  Mr Reason Lekutlane said some areas such as Kgalagadi and Okavango were totally disadvantaged due to the terrain, citing that the envisaged buses could not travel due to bad road networks.

He wished the government could consider improving road infrastructure in such areas so that people could get motivated and buy buses, hire qualified drivers and make travel safer.

Moshupa/Manyana MP, Mr Karabo Gare also supported the motion, saying as legislators, they were aware of challenges faced by school going children as some travelled long distances to access education and thus posed them to danger. He appreciated the government efforts in place to assist with transport but stated that was not enough as in other areas, learners had to be transported early in the morning due to shortage of transport provided by government.

“In Ranaka, we have special education learners who are picked around 4am and thus forces families into a difficult trade-off regarding children’s well-being. This motion is good as it calls for a tailor made solution to address challenges on the ground,” he added.

Furthermore, Mr Gare highlighted that some families were economically challenged to ensure their children were taken care of in terms of transportation to schools. ENDS