Every year, as the Grade 12 final examinations season approaches, Mthatha comes alive with excitement.
Pupils, thrilled to be completing their school journey, take to the streets in celebration, singing, cheering and waving their school shirts from moving taxis and private cars.
Others even dance on busy roads as taxis move alongside them, putting themselves and others at great risk.
What might seem like harmless fun has, over the years, become a recurring spectacle, with pupils placing themselves in danger in the name of celebration.
Recently I watched a video showing a pupil falling from a moving taxi along Mbuqe Main Road, heading towards town.
That single moment was enough to remind us just how dangerous this practice has become. It only takes one second of misjudgement for what should be a moment joy to turn into tragedy.
As an observer, I cannot help but feel deeply concerned. While these actions may seem harmless in the moment, one wrong move or sudden stop, or miscalculated turn, could turn celebration into disaster.
Pupils risk severe injury or even death, and such behaviour also endangers drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
According to the Road Accident Fund, more than 1,200 pupils die on South African roads each year, with children under 14 accounting for more than 10% of all road fatalities.
While these figures primarily reflect transport-related incidents, they also highlight how unsafe behaviour around vehicles continues to put young lives at serious risk.
This raises a serious question. What is the view of the Eastern Cape MEC for education, teachers and civil society on this dangerous practice?
Year after year these risky parades take place without visible intervention, despite the clear dangers they pose.
The ongoing silence from education authorities on this issue is deeply concerning, especially given how widespread the practice has become at Mthatha schools and surrounding areas. At what point will decisive action be taken to protect the pupils?
It is time for teachers and school principals to take a firm stand against this risky tradition. Allowing it to continue sends the wrong message to pupils.
Schools, instead, should organise safe, supervised farewell events on their premises, providing spaces where pupils can celebrate freely without putting their lives at risk.
Activities such as music sessions, talent shows or creative send-off ceremonies can channel excitement in positive and safe ways.
Parents also have a critical role. Conversations at home about responsibility and safety can make a difference. Pupils must understand that true joy and pride should never come at the expense of their lives.
The call is clear — the Eastern Cape MEC for education, together with school principals and district officials, must intervene now.
Let your leadership and voice bring awareness, accountability and meaningful change. Let us make this exam season a celebration of achievement, not a scene of sorrow.
As someone who has observed this tradition, I believe the time has come to rethink how we celebrate academic milestones.
The true victory lies not in risky road taxi parades, but in completing exams safely and moving confidently into the next chapter of life.
It is time for schools and parents to end this dangerous tradition.
The department of education should consider issuing a public statement, sending circulars to schools and working with community and taxi associations to ensure that such risky practices are stopped before more pupils get hurt.
Wishing all pupils the very best in their exams. Good luck!
Siyabonga Sibulawa, master of public health (health systems & policy) student at the University of the Witwatersrand, is writing in his personal capacity.
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