The provision of scholar transport in KwaZulu-Natal is on the brink of collapse as the Department of Education removes tens of thousands of learners from the programme due to severe budget cuts.
Director for Learner Transport Vukani Khumalo told the portfolio committee that the budget for the service has been cut from R669–million to R366–million.
Khumalo said the department has had to remove 201 buses from a fleet of 560 to meet the allocated budget.
He said this has resulted in 44 000 learners across the province being removed from the current group of 76 000 benefiting from the service.
“Overall, from last year to this year, 252 buses and 28 taxis have been removed in the fleet that has been submitted to the department of transport to go out on tender. The risk associated with this removal of so many learners from the programme in a protest prone province like KwaZulu-Natal are serious. We believe they may include massive province wide protests which might grind the education system and even the province to a halt.”
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