JOHANNESBURG - Soweto parents protested outside Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office on Tuesday, saying the protracted subsidised scholar transport strike is negatively affecting their children.
Subsidised scholar transport providers in Gauteng have been on strike since 1 February, claiming the provincial Education Department has failed to pay their invoices for three months.
Parents have been left scrambling to get their children to and from school to ensure they are not left behind academically.
In Tshepisong, parents approached a local councillor, who helped them place their children at a nearby school.
READ: ANCYL targets Education Department over transport strike
Services in Gauteng remain suspended, leaving thousands of learners across the province stranded and at risk. The strike has forced some children to navigate dangerous routes to and from school.
Gauteng Small Bus Operators Council (GASBOC) secretary Paul Zikhali says the decision was not taken lightly.
“Our members carefully assessed what was presented and found it impossible to implement without compromising operational viability and, ultimately, scholar safety,” he said.
Zikhali added that, for operators, the suspension of services is not a strike but a direct consequence of three months of non-payment by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), placing the department in breach of its contractual obligations.
Scholar transport operators in Gauteng are paid strictly according to the number of school days worked, under a pay-as-you-go model.
READ: No pay, no transport: Gauteng learners left stranded as strike continues
'The sustained failure to pay has had severe consequences for the maintenance and daily operation of scholar transport vehicles,' says Zikhali.
Gauteng Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said in a statement that the department would be meeting with service providers again on Tuesday. This is after no agreement was reached on Thursday between them.
“The sustained failure to pay has had severe consequences for the maintenance and daily operation of scholar transport vehicles,” Zikhali said.
Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said in a statement that the department would meet with service providers again on Tuesday after no agreement was reached during talks last Thursday.
READ: Thousands of Gauteng learners stranded as subsidised scholar transport goes on strike
Meanwhile, parents from the Riverside View informal settlement are calling for both a primary and high school to be built in the area. A community leader says it is unacceptable that children must walk long distances to and from school, a situation worsened by the transport strike.
The Gauteng ANC Youth League has warned it will lodge a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission if the dispute between the Education Department and scholar transport service providers is not resolved.