Without public or school transport, school kids must hitchhike every day. Benathi Ntozi stands on Ou Kaapse Weg hoping for a lift to Masiphumelele High. Photo by Masixole Feni.
16 November 2015
In May, GroundUp covered the story of a bus on its way for Masiphumelele High School learners. Last week, Noordhoek residents, Stuart James and Andy Taylor, confirmed that a bus has been ordered.
If sponsorship of R50,000 to cover the remaining costs is raised, the bus will be available for use from the first week of the school term in January 2016.
James and Taylor held two fundraisers in Noordhoek in February and May this year and raised R150,000 in total.
A dealership in East London will charge R250,000 for a new, sixteen-seater Nissan bus which will be branded ‘The Noordhoek Community Bus’.
The idea to invest in a bus sprung from GroundUp’s coverage in November last year on the plight of learners from townships in Westlake and Capricorn who hitchhike to school over Ou Kaapse Weg every day.
Explaining the delay in organising a bus, Taylor said, “We wanted to find a local charity who would agree to use the bus to pick up the learners in the mornings and evenings and then have it for their own use for the rest of the day.”
He said, “We approached a charity earlier this year, but found out in August that it could not follow through. We then approached Living Hope, a charity situated opposite Masiphumelele, which has now agreed to put the bus under its name and provide licensed drivers.”
Taylor said that Living Hope also has a mechanic who will check the vehicle once a month.
“We will hold a fundraiser each year for Living Hope in order to raise funds for the upkeep of the bus and also to put money away so that in five years time we can buy a new bus,” said Taylor.