Rheenendal; one year on

inlsa

GRIEVING: Pauline Fiegelands children, Felicity, 10, Andre, 12, and Maurisha, 15, died when a bus carrying pupils crashed near Knysna. Photo: Ian Landsberg

Xolani Koyana

PARENTS of schoolchildren who lost their lives in a bus accident near Knysna have marked the first anniversary of their deaths, but one Rheenendal mother stayed away from the weekend ceremonies because the pain was too great.

Pauline Fiegeland lost her three children in the accident. Felicity, 10, Andre, 12, and Maurisha, 15, died with 11 other Rheenendal Primary School pupils and the driver when the bus they were travelling in plunged into a river outside Knysna on August 24 last year.

Fiegeland, an unemployed widow from Highway-Wes, outside Knysna, said she had decided not to go to the ceremonies on Friday or Saturday.

“I still miss my children a lot. I can’t even look at their pictures because it is too painful. I did not just lose my children, I lost my life. I lost my livelihood. That is why I didn’t go to the event. It is too difficult for me.”

Fiegeland said Andre had a part-time job after school as a herdboy to help the family with expenses.

The little money her son made and social grants from the state for her children were Fiegeland’s only income.

She had lost her husband, the family breadwinner, three years earlier.

The 32-seater African Express bus had been taking 58 Rheenendal Primary pupils to school. It was under contract to the Western Cape Department of Education.

ANC MPL Millicent Tingwe called on Education MEC Donald Grant to make public the findings of an investigation into school transport in the province. She said the provincial government had made it appear that there were no problems with school transport, yet incidents continued to occur.

The Congress of South African Students has also called on Grant to make the findings public.

Grant’s spokeswoman, Bronagh Casey, said the report was confidential and would not be made public.

Since the Rheenendal accident, the department had undertaken a full review of the school transport system, focusing on getting bus companies contracted to the department to comply with regulations.

Casey said the department had cancelled a number of contracts with transport operators because they used bakkies to transport pupils in contravention of requirements, or did not follow procedure.

She said Grant had met Rheenendal’s governing body and principal as well as district officials on August 14. Issues discussed included support for the community and parents since the accident and the effect it had had on teaching and learning at the school.

Grant had inspected buses used for pupils in the area and was satisfied with their condition, Casey said.

xolani.koyana@inl.co.za