By Anita Dangazele
- Operators say unpaid invoices left them unable to pay drivers, buy fuel, renew licences or service vehicles for learner transport.
- Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha apologised and said the scholar transport budget falls short of what the province needs.
A group of Eastern Cape scholar transport operators marched peacefully on Wednesday morning in Bhisho after failing to reach an agreement with the department of transport over payments.
Members of the South African National Taxi Council marched to the office of Premier Oscar Mabuyane in Bhisho on Wednesday. They handed over a petition demanding immediate payment.
Some of the demands were that all outstanding payments be settled, that a transparent and accelerated payment schedule be provided to address the backlog, that operators be treated with dignity and respect, and that they be paid in full for fuel escalation.
Santaco interim structure member Nokuthula Mbebe said some operators had not been paid since 2022. Others had not received money since the new scholar transport tender started in 2024.
Mbebe said the nonpayment had hurt taxi businesses and families.
She said operators could not pay drivers, buy fuel, renew vehicle licences, service taxis or keep up with vehicle finance payments.
“The nonpayment has resulted in us not being able to pay our drivers, we can’t even buy fuel or even licence our vehicles,” she said.
Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha apologised at the Eastern Cape Bus and Taxi Presidential Forum meeting on Tuesday.
He said the department’s payment system licence had expired. He also said the scholar transport programme needs more money than the department receives.
“We get a budget of about R800 million but the needs of the scholar transport programme exceeds more than R1-billion,” said Nqatha.
Santaco said officials told them the budget only covers about 80,000 learners, while operators transport more than 100,000 learners.
Mabuyane said the province now transports about 105,000 learners. He said it may need to transport more than 130,000 learners to deal with the problem.
Equal Education’s Ona Matshaya said the province has no clear plan. She said about 25,000 learners were affected by the same problem in October 2024.
The Eastern Cape Bus and Taxi Presidential Forum distanced itself from the picket. It said operators should wait for another meeting on 15 May before deciding on a shutdown.
Pictured above: Santaco members marched to Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s office in Bhisho over unpaid scholar transport invoices.
Image source: Facebook
