The North West provincial government has given an undertaking to settle outstanding debts owed to scholar transport operators, some of whom were last paid in 2024.
Newsnote caught up with Transport MEC Tsotso Tlhapi on the sidelines of the launch of Transport Month in Midrand.
A recent departmental lekgotla gave officials a mandate to address challenges facing scholar transport in the province, with the payment of operators among the MEC’s priorities.
“As you would know, transport has been a challenge in our province, so we agreed with the officials to work with all stakeholders. One of the things we are going to do is to make sure that everyone who transports people across the province has a permit,” said Tlhapi.
The provincial government also intends to use Transport Month to set the tone for stricter enforcement of road safety regulations.
The MEC raised concerns about the roadworthiness of vehicles being used to transport schoolchildren.
“We have got many buses in our province that are old and unroadworthy, and we are saying to the operators that if you are going to transport our children, you have to make sure that your vehicle is roadworthy and safe,” she said.
The MEC also committed to ensuring that outstanding invoices owed to scholar transport operators are settled as soon as possible.
“On our side, we are going to make sure that we pay them. I know they have been complaining that they are not paid. Some of them were last paid in 2024, so we are going to make sure that every week officials provide an update on those payments,” she said.