The nonpayment of scholar transport operators in the North West has escalated into a crisis, leaving service providers struggling and learners facing disruptions in their education. Operators claim they are being treated as a “comeback department,” with the provincial transport department failing to fulfill payment promises.
Operators Voice Frustration
Many transport providers say they have not received payments for months, forcing them to operate under severe financial strain.
“There’s no payment coming through—it’s drip by drip. We are experiencing very serious challenges as service providers,” one operator said. “Every week, they say they will pay, but until today, nothing is happening. The department is ducking and diving.”
Operators allege that despite their financial struggles, the department does not acknowledge their plight, instead placing blame on them when learners are left without transport.
Department Blames System Failures
The North West Department of Transport has attributed the delays to technical issues with its Basic Accounting System (BAS), which processes payments.
“On the day of payments, we had received 928 invoices, and to date, only 552 have been processed,” a department representative said. “We experienced a system failure, which affected payment processing.”
To mitigate the backlog, the department has requested permission from the Treasury to make two payments per week instead of one. However, officials admit that they are currently relying on a manual invoice tracking system, which is slow and prone to errors.
“One major problem with the manual system is that we cannot see where delays occur in the value chain,” the department added.
Funding Shortfall Worsens Crisis
While R85 million was allocated for scholar transport this financial year, the department faces a staggering shortfall of approximately R150 million, further complicating efforts to resolve the payment delays.
The department has assured that payments will be monitored daily to expedite the process once invoices are captured. However, with no immediate solution in sight, operators and learners remain in limbo.
Impact on Learners
The delays have raised concerns about the broader impact on education, as unreliable transport could lead to increased absenteeism among students who depend on these services.
As the standoff continues, operators demand urgent intervention, while the department struggles to stabilize its payment systems amid mounting financial constraints.
