KZN needs R4.5bn for pupil transport

Pics buy: Gauteng Traffic Police Learner Transport Operations Special Task Team. Caption: Images taken during sting operations on learner transport conducted in 2011 by the Gauteng Traffic Police Learner Transport Operations Special Task Team. 2

Pics buy: Gauteng Traffic Police Learner Transport Operations Special Task Team. Caption: Images taken during sting operations on learner transport conducted in 2011 by the Gauteng Traffic Police Learner Transport Operations Special Task Team. 2

Published Mar 20, 2015

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Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport says it would take an estimated R4.5 billion to provide safe transport to schoolchildren in the province.

Department spokesman, Nathi Sukazi, was speaking to the Daily News on Thursday about the difficulties facing the government in meeting the transport needs of pupils.

The widespread use of bakkies was of particular concern, with a number of accidents recently, including fatalities. In Port Shepstone on Wednesday, 20 children were injured on their way back from school when the bakkie they were in overturned.

Sukazi pointed out that much of the province was rural, with many areas difficult to access. Roads were lacking or in need of repair. Money would be needed to address this, to do surveys of schools to find out exactly what was needed and to contract either buses or taxis.

“I must state that the department needs R4.5bn to solve the transportation problem.”

Meanwhile, it had emerged that the department had been unable to spend some of the money it had received for transporting children.

Finance MEC Belinda Scott, in her 2015/16 budget statement last week, noted that on top of its R9.341bn budget allocation, the department would receive an additional R10 million to deal with the transportation of pupils.

However, the R10m was being rolled over from the 2014/15 financial year – which ends this month – after the department had failed to spend it.

“The Department of Transport receives R10m in 2015/16 only relating to the learner transport function. The department was unable to spend these funds due to delays in appointing service providers,” Scott said at the time.

The KZN Parents’ Association and the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) have criticised the department for not using the R10m.

The DA on Thursday said accidents could have been avoided had there been a decent public transport system, along with an enforced pupil transport policy in the province.

“Learner transport accidents in the province require urgent mitigation action by the Transport Department. Until learners have access to a safe alternative mode of transport, bakkies will remain the choice of transportation especially in rural and peri-urban areas,” said party MPL, Dr Imran Keeka.

He proposed special permits for bakkies transporting pupils, improved monitoring of vehicles, and registration by bakkie owners with schools, giving power to principals and school governing bodies to periodically inspect such vehicles.

Vee Gani, chairman of the KZN Parents’ Association (Durban South), said there was no excuse for failing to spend available money allocated to tackle the problem.

“I’m disappointed that money would be rolled over because it was not used while children remain exposed to danger on our roads.”

Sadtu blamed the failure to use the funds on the squabble for tenders. Provincial secretary, Nomarashiya Caluza, said: “Logic dictates that funds be used towards an existing problem, even if only part of it will be attended to.

“Learner transportation has been an issue for some time, so that R10m should have been used at least in one area.

“Tender squabbles are the cancer that delays service delivery.”

 

Speaking of the R10m, Sukazi said: “When the department received the funding, the timing did not allow us to go through the processes. The first step is to assess the routes to the schools to ascertain their viability. The schools that need transportation have been identified, but we would not be able to go through all the processes.

“But when the next financial year kicks in, the process of attending to scholar transportation will be attended to,” he said.

Daily News

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