By Anita Dangazele
- Santaco hired lawyers to force Eastern Cape transport department to pay R795-million scholar transport money on time.
- Taxi operators pay more than R15,000 monthly for vehicles but the department pays far less causing financial problems.
The South African National Taxi Council has had enough of waiting for the government to pay scholar transport drivers on time.
Santaco in the Eastern Cape is heading to court to force the transport department to pay taxi operators when they should.
For months, operators have complained about getting their money late. In May 2024, they brought the province to a complete stop after waiting four months for payment.
This time, Santaco says it will fight in court instead of taking to the streets.
The provincial government has set aside R795-million for scholar transport this year. The money is meant to cover more than 87,000 pupils travelling across 54 different routes.
But Santaco says drivers are still not getting paid properly or on time.
Santaco provincial convener Mzwandile Nkewana told members at a meeting in Maletswai that the department had broken promises made in a 2023 agreement.
He said operators were struggling to keep up with monthly bank payments on their taxis because of the delayed government payments.
“People are paying more than R15,000 a month for vehicles, but the department pays far less. It doesn’t make business sense,” Nkewana said.
The council has hired lawyers to take the case to court. They say the department has ignored serious problems like unpaid invoices, vehicle repossessions, kicking out operators and demands for money to be paid back.
Nkewana said the payment delays had become “a norm” and accused the department of being arrogant towards taxi operators.
He said Santaco would no longer try to negotiate with the department. Instead, they will let the courts decide what happens next.
Provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose admitted there were payment delays. But he said they were not caused by a lack of money in the department.
He blamed technical problems, compliance issues with the South African Revenue Service and operators submitting invoices late.
Binqose said the department was “working around the clock” to sort out all the payment problems.
Pictured above: Mini bus taxis lining up at a taxi rank.
Image source: Facebook
