ActionSA is outraged by reports that a Grade R pupil from Verulam, northern eThekwini, was found abandoned on the side of the road after they were dumped by a minibus taxi on the way home from school. It is alleged that the child had insufficient money to pay for his trip, and was subsequently, left on the side of the road to fend for himself.

It is indictment on our city that limited access to quality in-community childcare and educational facilities would force desperate parents to allow a child, who is essentially a toddler, to travel on their own.

Thousands of extremely young children across the city are left to wrestle with the eThekwini transport system because there are too few adequate education facilities in their communities; everyday, the safety of these children is compromised.

We will be writing to the KwaZulu – Natal Department of Education to get clarity on what programmes are in place to support such vulnerable scholars in eThekwini and beyond.

The ANC government has failed to deliver where education is concerned, and almost three decades later, what is considered decent education requires the bulk of our residents to send their children to schools outside of their feeder zones.

As ActionSA we believe in affording every single child access to quality education regardless of their race, language, creed or social dispensation. The future of our children will continue to look bleak if we do not invest in ensuring better access to schools in local communities and improving learning outcomes through improved comprehension of the syllabus.

ActionSA is committed to creating an environment where parents trust that childcare and educational institutions in their communities provide the best for their children.