As the education department gears up to welcome thousands of pupils to schools next week, the taxi industry is considering pulling the plug on scholar transport if its operators are not paid by the end of this week.

Santaco leaders said discussions and meetings this week would determine if the service providers would ferry pupils to their schools come next Wednesday.

Eastern Cape Santaco A deputy chair Sandile Sifolo said there were operators whose invoices had still not been paid…

DA education shadow MEC Horatio Hendricks said the party was “extremely sceptical of the department of education saying everything is ready for the 2024 academic year”.

“Past experience has shown many schools are damaged so badly by thieves and vandals over the school holidays that they become unsafe for children.

“Schools have also battled with teacher shortages and a lack of learning materials.

“Transport MEC Nqatha confirmed that the scholar transport budget for the year was R695m; R230m of that had to be used to pay off old debt, leaving just R465m for scholar transport in this financial year.

“Operating costs to transport 103,000 learners exceed R100m a month, so even with the most reserved calculations the programme is out of money.”

Alakhe Silakhwe, from Sihlabeni village in Dutywa, who is starting grade 11 this year, said they did not have scholar transport from their area to Vulingcobo Senior Secondary School, which meant they had to walk about 7km each way.

“We wake up very early in the morning and walk to catch a lift, which we pay for out of our pockets.”

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