Golden Arrow Bus Services has made headlines after a bus driver abandoned an 11-year-old boy, Lifalethu Mbasana, forcing him to walk about eight hours to get home. In an attempt to make amends, the company has now offered the young boy free rides for a term.
Lifalethu, a primary school student who attends school in Simon’s Town and resides in Khayelitsha, was left stranded after losing his bus card. The public reacted strongly to the incident, prompting Golden Arrow to issue an apology and suspend the responsible driver.
“Golden Arrow can confirm that company policy is to assist uniformed scholars in situations where they have lost their Gold Cards. The driver who failed to do so has been suspended,” the company said.
Lifalethu’s mother, Siba Mbasana, expressed her dissatisfaction with the initial response from Golden Arrow.
“If they don’t fire [the driver], he needs to be taken to a different route or whatever. I don’t want to see that man. God forgive me.
“I don’t know what will happen if I ever take a Simon’s Town bus and my son happens to tell me that ‘this is the bus driver that kicked me out and separated me from my siblings’,” she said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
The incident occurred when Lifalethu, who was traveling with his two younger siblings, lost his bus ticket while boarding.
“The siblings had their bus ticket and went inside. My eldest son lost his ticket. The bus driver said to him ‘you are wasting my time. Get out. We need to leave. If you don’t have a ticket, you get out now. We need to leave’,” Mbasana recounted.
Despite Lifalethu’s attempts to resolve the issue, the bus departed, leaving him behind.
“My younger son actually wanted to double tap to pay for his brother, so obviously they said that’s not allowed. The bus left my son behind, leaving my two younger children to go on their own. He started to walk,” the mother said, visibly shaken.
Without a way to contact his family, Lifalethu began a grueling journey on foot.
“Usually he knows how the path goes so he followed the bus. He was exhausted. He went under a bridge to sleep with the people there, to regain strength. I think he was a bit scared because he’s never been outside during that time. He was overwhelmed and scared,” Mbasana said.
The young boy walked for hours in the dark, from Muizenberg to Capricorn, then into Strandfontein, where he sought help from motorists without success until a kind group offered him a lift to Mitchells Plain.
“He says that it was Nigerian people who gave him a lift to Mitchells Plain,” Mbasana said.
Upon arriving in Mitchells Plain, a kind man assisted Lifalethu to a nearby Spar store, where he was recognized by police who escorted him home to his anxious mother.
“I remember when I was receiving my child at the gate from the law enforcement people. He looked fine. He’s my first born so he always looks strong. He’s always calm, never panics.
“But when I saw him, I broke down, obviously. He gave me a hug. He reassured me that he was OK. But when he went inside the house he was limping. The entire day yesterday (Tuesday) it was just me taking care of him. He was limping. His body was sore. The bag he carries is so heavy and he walked for eight hours to get home,” she said tearfully as she tried to control her emotions.
Golden Arrow has since contacted Mbasana to offer Lifalethu free rides.
“They said they wanted to give my son some type of a free ride for this term. Maybe it’s three months or the entire year or whatever. I don’t know what they mean, but they said they wanted to come to my house on Saturday,” she said.
Joy Maimela, chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on basic education, voiced her distress over the incident.
“Everyone understands that companies have rules and regulations. This driver should have assisted the learner, especially since it is his company’s policy. He should also have been compassionate to the plight of the grade 6 learner. We all know that it is not always safe out there for our children,” she said. “It is completely unacceptable that this was allowed to happen. It is clear that the driver did not think of the boy’s safety.”
Golden Arrow reiterated their policy and urged parents to ensure their children can contact them in emergencies.
“In circumstances where unaccompanied minors are making use of our services, we ask parents to assist us by ensuring that their children are able to contact them in an emergency,” the company said.
This incident has ignited discussions about safety measures on public transport, calling for increased accountability and vigilance to protect vulnerable passengers.
