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06 March 2020

LEARNER TRANSPORT STILL A CHALLENGE BUT PROGRESS REGISTERED

The Department of Community Safety and Transport Management has noted with regret that there are some schools that still experience learner transport challenges. However the Department would like to indicate that there are fewer of those schools now.

Of the 380 schools in the Province that the Department is providing learner transport to, only 28 still reports a variety of challenges. Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Bojanala districts have the highest number (nine and ten respectively) and these are being attended to. The lowest is Ngaka Modiri Molema with four schools, followed by Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati with five.

The challenges were exacerbated by some operators who just abandon the routes agreed upon without notifying the department.

"Of the five who left recently, three are in Bojanala and two in Ngaka Modiri Molema. In Dr Kenneth Kaunda, some operators allegedly stopped operations at the behest of the community who threatened to torch their buses. In other areas like Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, problems were not that there was no learner transport. The community use learners as protest bargaining tool for service delivery by preventing them from going to school", explained Head of the Department, Mme Botlhale Mofokeng.

"The Department acknowledges delay in payments but towards the end of January the processing of payments has been expedited. Of the 197 operators who have taken the month to month contract, only few are still owed more than six months. Outstanding payments are from October 2019 only," emphasised MEC Sello Lehari who had ordered that backlog payment be expedited before the end of 2019/20 fiscus.

To date the Department has received few invoices for January and February 2020 and those are also being prioritised.

"The department wishes to express profound gratitude to operators who have been patient and continued to transport learners despite myriad financial challenges experienced. The Department has also been notified that there operators who have not accepted the offer nor signed contract and yet continue to transport learners. This has a potential not only to cause audit query but further cause delays in effecting payments. The Department appeals to such operators to engage relevant officials as a matter of urgency to resolve their issues", pleaded HoD, Mme Botlhale Mofokeng.

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