In a heart-wrenching video circulating on social media, a girl is seen being forcibly dragged out of a minibus several times while trying to get back inside before she is eventually dumped onto a rain-soaked road.
As the vehicle pulls away, the girl desperately runs after it before collapsing. The minibus then appears to drive over her as she lies on the ground attempting to climb back inside.
Now the driver at the centre of a viral Roodepoort scholar transport video has broken his silence, insisting he acted responsibly as chaos unfolded.
“I drove away and stopped to check if she didn’t get hurt.”
The incident took place on Friday, March 6, in the Princess area at a scholar transport pick-up point known as Esibayeni in Roodepoort.
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The driver, Lungani Maswanganyi, said the girl had previously been one of the learners he transported earlier this year from January to February.
According to Maswanganyi, the confrontation began earlier that Friday morning when he allegedly spotted the learner drinking alcohol in the Roodepoort CBD while still wearing her school uniform.
“I spotted the learner and told them (my friends) I am not going to surround myself around her as she was drinking while wearing school uniform,” he said.
He said tensions escalated later that afternoon when learners returned from school and warned him that some pupils had been drinking.
Maswanganyi claimed the girl later approached his vehicle at the transport swap point despite him telling her to stay away.
“I told her I don’t want her anywhere close to me or my vehicle,” he said.
He alleged the situation escalated when the girl began chasing the minibus and attempting to force her way inside while it was moving.
“While the car was already in motion she began chasing the car banging on the door trying to get in.”
Maswanganyi said he eventually stopped the vehicle and tried to remove her from the minibus with the help of learners already inside, but claimed she repeatedly attempted to force her way back in.
“She attempted three times forcefully entering the car… she went through the window,” he said.
According to Maswanganyi, the situation turned chaotic when the girl allegedly attacked another learner inside the vehicle, strangling her and pulling her hair. He said he intervened to separate the two after she refused to let go of the other learner, adding that he eventually pulled her away in an attempt to stop the fight, causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground.
He insisted he did not intentionally harm the girl and claimed she again tried to get into the vehicle as he drove away.
“She chased the vehicle while it was driving away, successfully opening the front left door and fell onto the ground again and I drove away and stopped to check if she did not get hurt.”
Maswanganyi said he immediately contacted the girl’s guardians to explain the situation and shared videos he claims support his version of events.
He said the following day he met members of the girl’s family at the Protea North police station to explain what had happened, but no case was opened by either party.
“Saturday morning, I sought help from one of her family members and met at Protea North police station with her uncle… her grandad, her brother and my brother was present too and shared my side of the story,” he said.
He also suggested that the girl be taken to a clinic to confirm she had not been run over by the vehicle.
“I opted that we take her to the clinic to get medical help and get verification that I didn’t run over her with my car,” he said.
According to Maswanganyi, medical staff confirmed that the girl had been cut by glass while walking barefoot and was treated for her injuries.
Police said they have no record of the incident.
The Greater Gauteng Learner Transport Organisation (GGLTO) said it was deeply concerned by the disturbing incident.
Sibongile Maseko, general secretary of the organisation, confirmed to The Star that the girl was not run over by the vehicle and did not sustain serious injuries as a result of the incident.
“As an organisation representing scholar transport operators, we take learner safety and wellbeing seriously,” she said.
However, Maseko stressed that the driver involved in the viral incident is not affiliated with the organisation or any recognised scholar transport association, highlighting ongoing challenges with unregulated operators.
“We lack resources and authority to vet drivers or conduct background checks. We have consistently called on government to regulate and support the sector,” she said.
Maseko said preliminary information suggests learners involved in the incident had allegedly consumed alcohol and misbehaved on the transport, contributing to the altercation.
The organisation said it is now working with the school and parents while its investigations continue.
“Safety requires a collective effort from parents, schools, operators and government. We are committed to promoting awareness and improving standards,” Maseko said.
She added that the organisation would continue engaging authorities to strengthen safety protocols, provide additional training for drivers on learner management and advocate for government-led regulation of scholar transport services.
“We don’t want a similar incident to happen again,” she said.
The Star
masabata.mkwananzi@inl.co.za