Parents in Makause demand urgent action after transport delays affect schooling
Parents said the situation has disrupted schooling and placed an unbearable financial burden on already struggling households.
Last Tuesday, parents and learners from the Makause informal settlement protested to express frustration about ongoing scholar transport challenges that left hundreds of children stranded and losing learning time.
The protest followed the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) failure to pay these service providers on time, resulting in buses not operating on several routes.
Parents said the situation had disrupted schooling and created a financial burden for already struggling households. Many simply could not afford to pay for private transport to ensure their children got to school.
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“We rely on scholar transport because we cannot afford school fees or private transport. Now, our children are at home while others are learning; that hurts,” said Lindiwe Nkosi.
Parents also feared for their children’s well-being if forced to use public transport, citing overcrowding, crime and the long distances they would have to travel alone.
They expressed frustration with the school registration system, claiming the placement system had failed them, as many children were allocated to schools far from their homes, so scholar transport was their only viable option.
They called on GDE authorities to urgently resolve the outstanding payments and address systemic issues in the registration and transport systems.
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Parents insisted they would continue voicing their concerns until there was a lasting solution, stressing that education should not be interrupted due to administrative failures.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane gave an update on a meeting between the GDE and scholar transport service provider representatives, convened in part to stabilise the Scholar Transport Programme and restore uninterrupted access to education.
Held last Tuesday, several associations represented about 250 scholar transport service providers, operating an estimated 3 600 buses and transporting about 238 000 learners daily across Gauteng.
Outcome of engagements with service providers
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Service providers outlined concerns previously raised through their associations, some of which fell outside the mandate of the education sector and were clarified as matters that must be addressed with the relevant departments.
Importantly, the meeting resolved all matters falling within the GDE’s mandate, including:
• payment matters, with confirmation that outstanding invoices for November 2025 would soon be paid;
• agreement on processes related to learner verification and confirmation of transported learners, including clarity on learner verification forms signed at schools and the MEC’s department’s transition towards a digitised system.
Resumption of scholar transport services
Following those resolutions, scholar transport operators committed to consulting with their members on a phased resumption of services, taking into account the logistical challenges associated with the earlier suspension, including the temporary removal of vehicles for safety and asset protection reasons. Full scholar transport operations across the province resumed on Monday.
Commitment to learner safety and accountability
While engagements continue, the MEC has concerns about the impact of these disruptions on learners, including academic setbacks and exposure to unsafe transport alternatives.
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The GDE instructed schools to implement catch-up programmes effective from Monday to mitigate learning time lost due to the disruptions, and advised them to use appropriate academic recovery measures to ensure teaching and learning remain on track.
“We acknowledge the frustration and distress experienced by learners, parents and communities. The disruption of scholar transport services is not a situation we take lightly.
“We are encouraged by the progress made and are confident that the resolutions reached will lead to the full normalisation of scholar transport services across Gauteng, ensuring that learner safety, dignity and access to education remain protected,” said Chiloane.
He urged stakeholders in the sector to maintain open and continuous engagement with the GDE, should challenges or concerns arise, so they could be addressed through the appropriate channels without disrupting schooling or compromising learners’ access to education.
