A bus driver may have left Lifalethu behind, but his community has not. After the Simon’s Town learner embarked on the longest walk home (roughly 8 hours) when a bus driver reportedly wouldn’t take him along, people from all over came together to support the young boy:
Cape Town, South Africa (29 July 2024) — Last week, learner Lifalethu Mbasana made headlines after he had to endure the longest walk home following the loss of his bus ticket and a driver who left him behind.
Lifalethu’s 8-hour walk came after the Simon’s Town primary school learner realised he couldn’t find his bus ticket, to which the Golden Arrow bus driver reportedly responded unsympathetically, as TimesLive reports.
Faced with a bus that had driven off, Lifalethu embarked on his longest walk home from Simon’s Town through different parts of the Western Cape until, eventually, he was given a lift to Khayelitsha.
For Lifalethu’s family and many South Africans who learned of the story, the situation was nothing short of unacceptable—not least because of how overwhelming and frightening it was for the 11-year-old learner, but because of how a lost bus card could put a young person in jeopardy.
The bus service seemed to agree with the unacceptable nature of the situation, stating:
“Company policy is to assist uniformed scholars in situations where they have lost their Gold Cards,” said Golden Arrow, adding that the driver who failed to follow this policy has been suspended.
But, a positive turn of events did come for Lifalethu and his family—largely thanks to the community who stood behind him. Indeed, even though the bus driver may have left the learner behind, his community has not!
Speaking to Daily Voice, Lifalethu’s mom shared that many kind words have been shared not just from South Africans but from across the continent. In addition, kind people have even offered their family a weekend away in Muizenberg, while Lifalethu and his siblings have received new school shoes and other gifts as little nods of support. Golden Arrow has also offered to gift the young boy free transport for the term!
Sources: Various (Linked Above)
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