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Gauteng Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela
Gauteng Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela says her department together the Education Department are responsible for ensuring that scholar transport operators have proper operating permits.
She was meeting with operators to discuss safety compliance issues. Most scholar transport operators that were expected to be part of Diale Tlabe’s engagement at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto Campus, boycotted the gathering.
She says today’s meeting with operators follows increased tensions and reports of bullying by certain operators against the department.
Diale-Tlabela indicates that the meeting was imperative to resolve, among others, allegations that some operators were preventing learners from going to school, following a crackdown on non-compliant, unroadworthy, and unlicensed vehicles.
VIDEO | Diale-Tlabela meets operators over safety compliance
The MEC has also raised concerns that the number of people on the system exceeds the number of scholar transports that are on the road.
She says that every time they encourage people to do the right thing, only a few comply.
Diale-Tlabela has urged scholar transport operators to start applying for permits. She says they can, in the meantime, obtain receipts to operate with while they wait for their official permits.
Today’s meeting follows last Sunday’s one, which descended into chaos. Diale-Tlabela explains the importance of compliance.
“There are three aspects to scholar transport, our lead department on this matter is the Dept. of Education so the education dept. is guided to follow rules and laws and then we are department of roads and transport we are responsible to ensure that you have proper documents called license to can be able to operate this business. So then we got law enforcement community safety metro police as well as Gauteng transport inspectorate our responsibility is to ensure that you get licenses.”
WATCH | Gauteng Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela says the department is responsible for ensuring scholar transport operators have the proper documentation to be able to operate their businesses. She is meeting with operators today to discuss safety compliance. pic.twitter.com/PnOc7Eynsw
— SABC News (@SABCNews) February 14, 2026
