'His lunch box is still in the fridge': Parents' grief over transport tragedies

For many parents, placing their children in the school transport and waving goodbye is part of their normal morning routine, but what happens when your child never comes home?

The tragic Vanderbijlpark accident last week, which claimed the lives of 14 young children and shook the nation, has evoked strong emotions from parents still battling the loss of a child in the same manner and those who are learning to ask the right questions when it comes to placing their children’s lives in the hands of the scholar transport system.

This year will mark the 16th anniversary of the devastating Blackheath train-crossing tragedy, which claimed the lives of ten school children on 25 August 2010.

The learners died when the taxi in which they were being taken to school jumped a queue of cars waiting at a rail crossing at Buttskop Road and was hit by an oncoming train. The taxi driver survived the crash.

Sixteen years after the tragedy, Valerie Phillips, who lost her 13-year-old son Jody Philips in the crash, said the Vanderbijlpark accident opened old wounds.

An emotional Valerie said that Jody would’ve celebrated his 29th birthday on November 29, and she still keeps his lunch box in the fridge.

“On Sunday [before the Vanderbijlpark accident], it was my birthday and I am retiring after 33 years at the end of this week. It was supposed to be a happy time, but ever since the accident, it has really affected me so badly that I am in pain all over again.

“A mother will never get over the passing of her child, especially in a tragic accident like this - when they were ripped away from you.

“Just when you think you can move a little bit forward in life, something strikes again that triggers you. This really affected me.

“I don’t want people to think ‘it’s been so  many years and you are still crying?’” But they won’t understand if you never went through it - I can tell you it’s very painful.

Just two years ago, five primary school learners and a high school learner were killed on AZ Berman in Mitchells Plain when a bakkie transporting pupils lost control, slammed into a tree and a traffic light causing the vehicle’s canopy to shatter.

A Delft mother said she is educating herself regarding the rules applicable to school transport.

Originally from Elsies River, the family had to find a lift for their Grade 4 daughter to get to school from their new home, as they were unable to secure a school placement in the middle of the year.

With organising school transport a matter of urgency, the mom said: “At the time, I was just happy she got transport, that I did not think to ask for a licence or permits, I was just relieved because we really struggled to find transport.

“It never crossed my mind to ask for the necessary certificates or paperwork, which is actually so important because we are literally trusting these people with our children’s lives. I don’t think we as parents are educated enough on the safety of scholar transport because the driver always survives.”

The Cape Argus sister publication spoke to the Western Cape Mobility Department to educate parents on what to look out for to ensure their children are safe when travelling to and from school.

The department’s Head of Communication, Muneera Allie explained: “The Road Safety Management team visits schools throughout the year to educate parents, teachers, learners and operators on safe scholar transport. The Department also distributed various brochures to assist and educate parents, teachers and operators, ” she said.

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Cape Argus