Furore over 'schoolbus racism'

2007-02-07 19:12

Johannesburg - The MD of Metrobus denied on Wednesday that eight white high-school children had been kicked off a bus in Johannesburg by a racist black driver.

According to a newspaper report, schoolchildren, aged between 14 and 17, said a black bus driver swore at them and kicked them off the bus because they were white.

Metrobus MD Bheki Shongwe said: "We are continuing to investigate, but the preliminary finding is that there is no correlation between what was in the (newspaper) article and what the driver has told us.

"I have spoken to the driver and he said it was an absolute lie. They (the schoolchildren) asked to get out.

"He stopped the bus. Some white kids remained until he dropped them at the school."

Was just helping out

The children still on the bus told the driver after the others were off the bus that it was not their stop.

Shongwe said the driver assumed that because they were late for school already they had decided not to go.

The driver had been asked to go and help on the Parktown High School route after he had finished his normal route.

There was a strike at Metrobus, and this issue was "sad" because drivers were "risking their lives with this strike to try be of service to others". The driver would now continue on his normal route.

"He arrived at 07:20 (in Mondeor) and the first thing he was met with was comments from white girls who said 'Why is he coming so late', 'Does he think we have time'."

He was late and he did not know the route. The girls gave him wrong directions and he ended up driving to Emmarentia.

Had been 'kicked off'

"Some kids up on the deck were laughing at him. Others were trying to keep the peace and some were taunting him.

"He is one of our best drivers... he's been dealing with kids for the past seven years," he said.

Gregg Bauer, the deputy headmaster at Parktown Girls High, said the children had been "kicked off" the bus on Westcliff Drive - about a kilometre from the school.

The children had told Bauer the driver had arrived late and would not accept directions to the school from two white boys.

When other children tried to approach the driver, saying they needed to get to school because they had tests, the driver "lambasted" them.

Bauer said the children had told him the driver had said: "This is the new South Africa and blacks rule the country. I'll show you how these things are now done."

Bauer said he had received a letter from councillor Rehana Moosajee of the mayoral committee for transport.

"She was absolutely shocked by the situation."

Bauer said Moosajee guaranteed that she had been in contact with Metrobus and that a meeting would be organised with the school to discuss the concerns.

Disciplinary hearing

In the letter, Moosajee said racism would not be condoned.

"She also gave her assurance that the matter would be dealt with and a disciplinary hearing would take place.

Shongwe said he also would not condone racism, but he regretted that no adult had called him about the matter before it appeared in the newspaper.

He said schoolchildren, handicapped people and the elderly were Metrobus's priority during the strike period.

- SAPA