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By IOL Reporter 
1 hour ago
Cape Town – In March of this year, 26 passengers on the bus were killed after it hurtled down a ravine while en route to Butterworth, Eastern Cape.
Another tragedy could have been brewing last week after a bus driver allowed a student to drive while standing next to her, beer bottle in hand, while occasionally giving her instructions. According to reports, the bus was filled to the maximum of students.
Since then, the school bus operator for Moshesh Agricultural High School, which serves eight schools in the area, lost its contract with the Eastern Cape Department of Education after it was alerted to the incident when a video of the incident went viral. .
“The department learned of the matter through social media and the operator has since received a suspension letter, while alternative measures are implemented to ensure students are not stranded,” department spokesman Malibonge Mtima told EWN.
A high school student from Moshoeshoe Agriculture in Matatiele had to take the wheel of a bus carrying students because the driver was drunk. He continued drinking while she drove. pic.twitter.com/zVW0hgmvJd
– KULANI (@kulanicool) October 21, 2020
A letter sent by the department to the operator read: “We learned of your driver’s misconduct at Moshesh Agricultural High School on October 16, 2020, where a bus driver with registration number JBK123EC allowed a student to drive. a bus while the driver had a beer.
“The department considers the misconduct a serious crime and is in contravention of the signed service level agreement, therefore, we suspend all its school transportation services.”
Eastern Cape Transportation Department spokesman Unathi Binqose said it was not a criminal matter because he was not caught drinking while driving, News24 reported.
“(The) lives of all the students, who were riding the bus, were put in danger and this cannot be allowed to happen again,” said Education MEC Fundile Gade.
“However, we are grateful to the students who captured the event on camera so that we can investigate the matter and also find out if there have been any previous incidents.”
Eastern Cape Education Department spokesperson Monwabisi Mbangeni confirmed that the operator lost its contract with the government, TheSouthAfrican reported.
“It is very clear that the bus was driven by the student. Obviously, she doesn’t have a Code 14 license.
” We cannot proceed with a person who is playing with people’s lives. The Eastern Cape Department of Education has now canceled its contract with the operator and alternate transportation arrangements are being made for the students, ”Mbangeni said.
MESS
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