36 schoolchildren rescued from overloaded minibus taxi in KZN

A total of 36 school children loaded into a minibus taxi (with heavily black-tinted windows) have been rescued by RTI.

IT WAS a rough start to the new school term following an incident where 36 schoolchildren were rescued after they were found crammed into an overloaded minibus taxi with heavily tinted windows in Park Rynie, KwaZulu-Natal.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma said the children were rescued by members of the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) during law enforcement operations on Tuesday.

According to Duma, the minibus taxi was impounded, and the driver was fined more than R2,000 after officers discovered he was not carrying a valid driver's licence and was operating a vehicle with illegally tinted windows.

"The taxi has been impounded, and the driver, who was not even carrying his driver's licence, has been fined more than R2,000," Duma said in a statement.