The ANC Gauteng Youth League is preparing to lodge a formal complaint against the provincial Department of Education amid an ongoing dispute with scholar transport providers that has left thousands of learners without transport since the start of February.
The standoff follows failed negotiations between the department and subsidised service providers over outstanding payments. The Gauteng Small Bus Operators Council (GASBOC) says its members have not been paid for three months, forcing many operators to suspend services.
In a statement, the council rejected the department’s request for buses to resume operations while invoices are still being processed.
“Children will not be used as collateral,” the council said, stressing that returning to work without payment would place operators under severe financial strain.
A meeting between the department and GASBOC on Friday failed to produce an agreement, prolonging the disruption and leaving many pupils stranded at home.
ANC Youth League provincial secretary Mpume Sangweni described the situation as unacceptable, saying learners’ constitutional right to education is being undermined.
“It is unacceptable that children who come to school eager to learn and build a better future are denied their right to education,” Sangweni said. “We call for the immediate payment of all outstanding service providers and the urgent restoration of school services.”
Education department spokesperson Steve Mabona said officials are actively engaging with transport providers in an effort to resolve the payment backlog.
However, GASBOC secretary Paul Zikhali defended the operators’ decision to halt services, saying it was made after careful consideration rather than emotion.
“This was not an emotional or reckless decision,” Zikhali said. “Our members assessed what was presented and found it impossible to implement without compromising operational viability and, ultimately, scholar safety.”
It remains unclear when the department will settle the outstanding payments or when services will resume, leaving thousands of families in limbo as the impasse continues.