Road and child safety organisations - and even traffic officers - are urging the province to broaden the probe into last week's horrific school bus crash.
And Education MEC Cameron Dugmore confirmed today that the administration was considering a broader inquiry into schoolchildren's transport in the Western Cape.
Pressure groups told the Cape Argus yesterday that they wanted any investigation to include a probe into allegations of corruption in the issuing of roadworthy certificates to bus companies, including those that transport 55 000 Western Cape children to and from school each day.
They are also calling for:
- Enforcement of six-monthly tests on buses and other school transport.
- The employment of more inspectors at vehicle testing sites.
- A look at implementation of "preventative measures", such as compulsory fitting with "tyre safety bands".
Bus victim Shavonne Beck, a Grade 7 pupil at Dennegeur Primary in Strandfontein Village, was to be buried on Tuesday.
The others killed when the bus careered out of control and crashed in Kloof Nek Road were Angelique Johnson and Brent Stander, also Grade Seven pupils at Dennegeur, and bus driver Andre Lemmetjies.
The brakes apparently failed, although the owner, Leandra Transport, said the bus had been roadworthy.
At least 40 others aboard the bus - one of two taking 105 pupils and four parents home after the outing on Table Mountain - were injured, three of them critically.
As of Monday, five pupils and two parents were still in a critical condition.
Senior sources in the provincial Department of Public Works and Transport disclosed that although the government wanted to launch a full-scale investigation into the transporting of children, at this stage the priority was to complete the probe into the crash.
Leandra Transport had been hired by Dennegeur Primary and not by the provincial Department of Education.
The department has 460 contracts with transport companies, which ferry about 55 000 pupils to school and back every day.
This figure does not include the buses schools contract specially for outings.
Dugmore said today: "We have very strict criteria in terms of issuing tenders to transport providers, for instance, the requirement that roadworthy certificates be renewed every year.
"Our department insists on tests every six months.
"More work needs to be done on driver training. We are currently investigating isolated allegations implicating corrupt officials and contractors. We are also considering the possibility of a broader inquiry into learner transport."
He confirmed that Education Minister Naledi Pandor was compiling national guidelines for all school outings.
The most recent statistics from the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System indicated that in 2003 there had been 3 926 unnatural deaths in Cape Town and 25,4 percent. About 990 of these were so-called transport injuries.
Of these 522 were pedestrian deaths, 116 driver deaths and 119 passenger deaths.
In the age group up to 14, transport deaths accounted for 47,3 percent of all unnatural fatalities.
Lesley Matzopoulos, from Khusela Abantwana Safe Kids South Africa, said injury and death rates for children up to the age of 14 were among the highest in the world, with traffic-related fatality rates double the world average.
Moira Winslow of Drive Alive said that the organisation had been "absolutely shocked" by last week's tragedy.
Among the key problems in bus accidents identified by her organisation were faulty braking systems and smooth tyres. Although many of the buses had apparent roadworthy certificates, these could be purchased from corrupt officials.
On Monday, several city and provincial traffic officers also urged a wider probe into the crash, including an investigation of corruption in the issuing of roadworthy certificates and licensing offices.