Stellenbosch pupils get new bus service

More than 150 schoolchildren in the Western Cape's farming areas have been robbed while walking to and from school and at least two have been raped, a survey found. File photo: Henk Kruger

More than 150 schoolchildren in the Western Cape's farming areas have been robbed while walking to and from school and at least two have been raped, a survey found. File photo: Henk Kruger

Published Jul 6, 2015

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Cape Town - Parents from Stellenbosch and surrounding areas have breathed a collective sigh of relief after a new bus service from Klapmuts to Paarl was introduced and will see 280 pupils get to school safely.

School-going children now no longer have to fear being accosted and robbed of their cellphones, money and being confronted by drunk people while using public transport to get to school, Stephanie Nieuwoudt, media liaison for the office of the mayor of Stellenbosch said.

One parent, Amanda Borens, who works as a cleaner at the municipality, said: “I cannot explain the sense of relief I feel now. I used to be tense all day waiting for my daughter, Nicole, 13, to come home by taxi. Sometimes she arrived hours late because the mini-bus taxi was not on time.”

Nicole, a pupil at Klein Nederburg Secondary School in Paarl, said she was often late for school.

“I do not like being late because it wastes education time. “We would often wait for the taxi early in the morning while it was still dark. It was horrible when it did not arrive.”

Mervyn Alexander, father of Jeimicklynne, 13, who lives near the Klapmuts station, said he often witnessed groups of children from different schools fighting.

“Once they were throwing stones at each other and one smashed through one of my windows. Although Jeimicklynne did not travel by train but by taxi, she also had to walk far and was exposed to a number of dangers. One of her friends was attacked and robbed of her cellphone. It is terrible to worry about your child all the time.”

The bus service was introduced early in June after three years of hard work by local councillors Sophie Louw and Aldridge Frazenburg. “I am also a mother and although my children are grown up, I know how worried parents are when they think their children are exposed to dangerous situations,” said Louw.

“Pupils who travelled from Klapmuts to Paarl by train, had to walk three to four kilometres to get to the station. And in Paarl they had to walk from the station to school. Some were robbed of their cellphones and money on the way. Many of the pupils would arrive at the Paarl station and decide it was too much effort to walk further and they would then just spend the day at the station or walk around town. The bus service drops pupils in front of their schools. It is a much safer situation.”

Conrad Sidego, the mayor of Stellenbosch, said: “No child should be exposed to this kind of danger. Our aim is to help the people of the greater Stellenbosch to live with dignity and to create a safe environment. As the innovation capital, we continuously strive to find practical solutions to problems and this initiative helps to keep our children safe.”

Cape Argus

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