RUSTENBURG - North West Community Safety and Transport MEC Sello Lehari must conduct an unannounced provincial audit of scholar transport contracts, the DA said on Monday.
DA Transport spokesperson Freddy Sonakile said the audit must include the actual number of scholar transporters operating in North West, a thorough assessment of each vehicle’s condition, and the verification of the number of passengers per trip.
"The audit should also verify the pick-up and drop-off times of children daily ... Allegedly some of these transporters overload the buses, forcing children to stand throughout the trip. Some buses frequently break down, ending up with children arriving late or not making it to school at all. Parents are often forced to pay up to R50 per trip to get their children to school safely," Sonakile said.
According to Sonakile, Lehari previously indicated that the department had hired monitors to check on the trips.
"Based on our observations, these monitors do not exist. If they do, they are bribed or are sleeping on the job.
"Following the audit and its findings, MEC Lehari must revoke the contracts of all the transporters who do not comply. The condition of these buses poses a severe threat to the lives of the children, inhibits learners’ access to education and degrades their human dignity."
Recently the North West department of transport appointed a contractor to provide scholar transport for learners in Willow Park, Zeerust, after the previous contractor abandoned the route, resulting in learners missing school after the opening of the current academic year.
"The North West department of community safety and transport’s management has resolved the nightmare of Willow Park learners. The learners were reported to have not been able to attend school due to lack of transport.
"It was recently brought to the attention of the department that the appointed service provider had abandoned the service and as a result, learners were unable to attend school since the reopening of the current academic year," spokesperson BSoitshoko Moremi said at the time.
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