Daily Maverick
Dailymaverick logo

South Africa

South Africa, Maverick Citizen, Maverick News

Scholar transport payment crisis strands Mpumalanga learners

Scholar transport payment crisis strands Mpumalanga learners
Takudzwa Pongweni
By Takudzwa Pongweni
9 Apr 2025
Facebook
1
Government-subsidised scholar transport in Mpumalanga has been severely disrupted after unpaid invoices and invalid contracts led to operators halting services.

“It hurts to see our kids walking in the rain. No one is telling us what’s happening or when things will be fixed. Some have tried to walk to school, but they have to turn back because it’s too far and the rain is too much. The heavy rains ruin their books and make them sick.”

These were the words of a mother whose son makes use of government-subsidised scholar transport in Mpumalanga and has been left stranded after operators halted operations this week.

Subsidised transport in Mpumalanga assists about 60,000 learners from grades R to 12 in rural and farming communities who lack public transport.

Teboho Sekaledi, a DA member in the Mpumalanga Legislature, says transport operators across the province are grappling with ongoing challenges, primarily due to a failure to make payments by the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport.

Sekaledi cited a case in Middelburg where a scholar transport operator had neither been paid nor provided with a valid contract for the assigned route. As a result, the operator has been unable to transport learners to school since the term began.

“This problem stems from both payment delays and the lack of proper contractual agreements. The department often issues verbal instructions for operators to take up routes without providing any formal documentation. When it comes time for the operators to be paid, the department refuses, citing that they weren’t authorised to transport students, claiming that no contract was in place to justify their compensation,” he said.

“There are two other areas I’m aware of where standoffs have occurred between operators and the community. The main issue now is that children are being left stranded and unable to attend school”.

‘Lack of accountability’


Sekaledi said he had been in talks with a department director, who said financial constraints had been a major factor. 

“One of the reasons they gave me for the payment delays is that they’ve had financial challenges, and now that we’ve entered a new financial year in April, the funds that are supposed to be used for compensating the scholar transport operators are yet to come through,” Sekaledi said.

He also raised concern over the department’s handling of the scholar transport situation, emphasising the unjust burden of operational costs placed on transport operators.

“One of the biggest problems we’ve encountered is the reliance on verbal instructions. Instead of providing written agreements or official documentation, the department often gives verbal instructions. This lack of formal communication has become a serious Achilles’ heel,” said Sekaledi.

He said that when accountability was required and there was no paper trail of the instructions or records, it became impossible to identify which officer had issued the directive or why it hadn’t been communicated to the financial team.

Sekaledi highlighted issues over the number of learners approved for transport. While the department authorised transport for a specific number of learners, operators often found that more children than expected. This created confusion and placed additional strain on the already stretched transport services.

However, the main challenge remained payment. 

“The biggest issue is definitely the lack of timely remuneration. The department is failing to meet its obligations, not paying operators within the required 30 days, as stipulated by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The PFMA clearly states that once a service has been provided, payment must be made within 30 days. The department is not adhering to this and as a result, we are seeing more and more strikes,” he said. 

Department acknowledges issues, but concerns remain


Asked about the department’s response, Sekaledi said the answers provided were generally vague. Among the reasons for payment delays was the financial year-end. 

“This was around March, when the books were being closed in preparation for the new financial year. They claimed this process was causing significant payment delays. However, as I’ve mentioned before, these issues have been ongoing for much longer. It’s not a new issue because these problems have been happening for a while now, and it’s clear this has been an ongoing concern. I’ve been dealing with this problem since schools opened in 2025,” Sekaledi said. 

On Wednesday, 9 April, Bongani Dhlamini, acting head of communication for the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, issued a media statement acknowledging the non-payment concerns raised by contracted scholar transport operators. The statement emphasised that the department understood the importance of timely payments and was committed to quickly resolving the issue.

The statement clarified that the delayed payments were due to the 31 March 2025 cut-off date of the financial year. It also expressed appreciation for the operators’ patience during the transition period, as new financial systems were being implemented. The department assured all service providers that payments were being processed, with the new systems already operational as of 8 April 2025.

It also urged service providers not to neglect learners who relied on essential transport services.

“Any disruption in the scholar transport service poses significant risks to the safety of our children, who depend on these services to attend school and return home safely. The Department is prioritising the settlement of outstanding payments and is actively working to ensure that these issues are resolved promptly,” read the statement. 

DA education spokesperson Annerie Weber confirmed that while the education department was ultimately responsible for overseeing scholar transport, the management of the service, including contracts, payments and operations, had been outsourced to the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport. 

Verbal promises, empty pockets 


Daily Maverick spoke to a scholar transport operator who asked to stay anonymous due to safety concerns. He confirmed that he had stopped operating due to government payments being two months in arrears. The operator said 880 learners were affected by the suspension of services. He said operators had no funds to cover essential running costs such as diesel, repairs or driver wages. 

“The drivers are now unwilling to work without being paid, and I completely understand their position because they have families to support. I have 12 drivers, and so far, nothing has been communicated by the government regarding payment,” he said.

A parent told Daily Maverick they were told about the transport issue the morning before the bus service was halted. The parent said they went to the school to ask what the situation was and to seek a solution as soon as possible. However, they reached a dead end when they discovered that the issue was not with the unpaid service providers, but with the Department of Public Works. Providers said they hadn’t been paid for January, February and March.

“Now, our children aren’t going to school, and they’re the ones who are losing out because education is key. We want our kids to have a better education,” the parent said. 

Daily Maverick called the Mpumalanga Department of Education numerous times, but by the time of publication it had not responded. DM 

Categories:

Tags: