WATCH: Young learner caught driving taxi filled with schoolchildren
The video has sparked outrage online…
A video showing a young learner driving a minibus taxi has sparked outrage among community members and parents.
The pupil was caught on camera driving the taxi full of other schoolchildren in Northdale, Pietermaritzburg.
A concerned resident took a video of the incident, which spread among community members and brought the incident to the department's attention.
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The footage reportedly shows the pupil behind the wheel, dropping off learners outside a local school.
According to The Witness, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and Human Settlements has launched an investigation into the incident.
The video first shows the concerned community member following the taxi and filming it while the child is driving.
Later, it cuts to a moment where the taxi driver and the child seem to quickly swap places after they realised they had been caught.
"How ridiculous are you?" asked the woman in the video.
"I will make sure I send this to the Department of Transport, and I will get you fired," she added.
The video then ends with the taxi driver driving off.
Watch here:
MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, said the department's Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) will verify whether the taxi in question is a service provider contracted for scholar transport.
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"There will be severe consequences for the owner of the minibus taxi for allowing an underage and unlicensed driver to transport learners to school," he said.
"Our figures on road accidents and fatalities indicate that teenagers are four times more likely than older drivers to crash. They are also more likely to speed, run red lights, and drive under the influence of alcohol."
"On a monthly basis, we have witnessed underage drivers causing accidents, mostly on Friday and Saturday nights between 9 pm and 6 am."
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