Forty-nine schoolchildren crammed into 16-seater taxi

A taxi driver was arrested on Wednesday after he was caught transporting 49 schoolchildren crammed into a 16-seater minibus taxi between KwaZulu-Natal's Mooi River and Estcourt, the Department of Transport said.

What made the situation even worse was that the driver was five times over the legal alcohol limit, said Department of Transport spokesperson Logan Maistry.

Road Traffic Inspectorate chief Collin Govender said the pupils, who were between three and 13 years old, had been at huge risk.

The taxi, which was certified to carry 16 passengers, had been travelling to Estcourt, where the children went to school.

"The children were sitting on top of each other. It's outrageous when you consider that these are school children who were being transported by someone in possession of a public driver's permit. Driving under the influence of alcohol is one thing, but when you consider the lives of all these children it shows how irresponsible the driver is," said Govender.

"His vision was blurred. It's 30km from Mooi River to Estcourt and he still had to drive to different schools when he arrived in the town to drop off the children. The children had to remain in that (uncomfortable) position until they got to school. They had their school bags with them and the conductor was also in the taxi," he said.

"We are fortunate (that nothing happened). This was a disaster waiting to happen."

The man was charged with overloading and drunk driving. He will appear in the Mooi River Magistrate's Court today.