The Vehicle Testing Association (VTA), a proud association of the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), has voiced its deep concern following yet another horrific scholar transport crash in KwaZulu-Natal. Twenty pupils were injured when a minibus taxi veered off the KwaKhetha Bridge in Impendle last week.
KZN MEC for Transport, Siboniso Duma, confirmed the driver - who fled the scene - was arrested and found to have no driver’s licence or Professional Driving Permit (PrDP), only a learner’s licence. It has since emerged that the vehicle had been tested and certified roadworthy in the Eastern Cape, not in KZN.
Speaking in Pietermaritzburg after the funeral of 16-year-old KwaZulu-Natal student, Ntobisi Kambule – one of five pupils who tragically died in another scholar transport crash earlier this month – Chairperson of the VTA for the KwaZulu Natal Region, Naeem Sheik, expressed his deep sadness and condolences to the families and mourning community.
“The reality is there are many vehicles on our roads that are not roadworthy, and that is why we need government to act decisively in clamping down on vehicles that are clearly unfit for the road but still carry certificates declaring them roadworthy. We also need to close extra-provincial testing loopholes and stamp out corruption within the system,” he said.
Sheik said the VTA welcomes the opportunity to partner with the KZN MEC to enforce more stringent testing measures.
“Vehicles are slipping through the cracks when tested outside the province, sometimes at stations where corruption is rife. This not only undermines the integrity of the testing process but puts the lives of our children and commuters at risk. Fraudulent certifications and unethical practices must be eradicated if we are to prevent these tragedies from repeating themselves,” he said.
Sheik stressed that the integrity of testing stations must be prioritised. “The VTA is calling for stronger oversight of vehicle testing stations to curb human interference and corruption, tighter enforcement across provincial borders, and a renewed commitment from all stakeholders – including the SA National Taxi Council, testing authorities, and government departments – to ensure that only truly roadworthy vehicles are allowed on our roads.”
He called on the National Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, to implement the amendment to Regulation 128 to include periodic testing of all vehicles. “This could immediately eliminate unroadworthy vehicles and reduce fatal crashes.
Similarly, he urged KZN Director Ntuli of the KZN Motor Transport Service to enforce Regulation 24 (2) (d), which requires an original roadworthy certificate to be captured by local authorities. “This will eliminate much of the corruption we currently face, where certificates are bought from out-of-province.”
Finally, Sheik appealed to SANTACO to assist in strengthening policies so that if a vehicle holds an operating licence in KZN, it must only be tested within the province.
“With road fatalities at crisis levels, South Africa cannot afford to compromise on safety. Corruption in the roadworthy certification process costs lives, and we must act decisively to protect our children and all road users,” concluded Sheik.