Transport Minister Barbara Creecy on site in Lenasia as officials impound scholar transport vehicles for non-compliance. Picture Credit: GCIS
By Aisha Zardad
Lenasia — In a major enforcement push on Thursday, January 22, 2026, authorities led by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy impounded more than 60 scholar transport vehicles in Lenasia, Johannesburg, after checks found widespread non-compliance with safety and transport regulations, officials said. Two drivers were also arrested during the operation for overloading learners beyond legal passenger limits, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport confirmed.
Minister Creecy was joined on the ground by Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela and members of the National Traffic Police as they addressed parents and drivers on the importance of adhering to transport safety standards and proper licensing, emphasising that vehicles transporting schoolchildren must be roadworthy and legally permitted.
The compliance blitz involved verification of registration, assessment of overloading, enforcement of traffic rules and checks on the general roadworthiness of vehicles used to ferry learners. Vehicles found to be unregistered, unroadworthy or otherwise in breach of regulations were impounded immediately, with drivers of some operating without valid professional driving permits taken into custody.
Officials urged the public and scholar transport operators to report unsafe services and to ensure all vehicles used for learner transport meet the required legal standards. Some drivers at the scene called on government to expedite the licensing process for specialised scholar transport permits to help them comply with the rules while continuing to operate sustainably.
The timing of the operation follows heightened scrutiny of learner transport safety after a separate scholar transport crash in Vanderbijlpark earlier this week that resulted in multiple fatalities, reinforcing officials’ focus on stricter enforcement and improved regulatory oversight.
