Learners from Springs are among many across the province who have not been attending their schools due to a bus strike by service providers over unpaid fees.

The Gauteng Small Bus Operators’ Council (GASBOC) sent a memorandum to the Gauteng Department of Education on February 3.

It stated that it had not received payment from the department and requested that the Gauteng Road and Transport Department stop fining drivers and impounding buses. The council gave the department until February 6 to pay them.

This led learners and parents from Slovo Park and Payneville to hold a peaceful protest at the Department of Education in the Gauteng East district in Springs on February 3, calling on the department to address the issue of learners without scholar buses.

According to parents, the buses had not returned to the areas from February 2 to pick up children in the mornings.

The protest, led by parent and community activist Refilwe Pikiso, was accompanied by learners from various schools, including Eureka Secondary School, Lefa Ifa Secondary School and Phulong Secondary School.

Speaking to the Springs Advertiser at the district, Lihlelethu Ntshikaniso (14) said she fears falling behind with schoolwork due to the lack of transport.

Ntshikaniso said they came to the district to find out what was happening because they had not been notified.
She said parents only received a message on the evening of February 2 stating that buses would not be available.

“We have not been to school since January 30 and were unable to alert the teachers about the matter that we are facing.

“I am in Grade Eight, and we do fear we might miss some of the syllabus from the curriculum, but by being here, we hope that they hear our grievance because the social grant we receive is not enough to pay for everything, including transport,” said Ntshikaniso.

Concerned parent Melody Maphosa said parents were disappointed they were alerted late, leaving them no time to make alternative arrangements. Maphosa said her daughter relies on the department’s buses because she was injured.

“Due to the nature of her injuries, she could not come here because we walked from Slovo Park to the district. What the department is doing to our children is sad because they are missing out on schoolwork as we speak.”

She added that the areas they live in do not have a high school, forcing children to attend schools in KwaThema.

“We need them to build a high school for these children so we don’t face such challenges,” said Maphosa.

A few parents, including Pikiso, were allowed into the district offices to meet with officials. Afterwards, Pikiso said the district would report back after officials spoke with the Gauteng education MEC and the Department of Roads and Transport.

“The officials assured us that they will prioritise the matriculants as their syllabus is short, so we will wait for them to report back to us, and they told us that they will alert the schools where our children go about the matter and that the teachers will pause a bit for our children,” said Pikiso.

However, the parents returned to the Gauteng East district on February 5 after receiving no feedback following their initial visit, after the district did not provide an update on the response regarding matric learners or from the Gauteng Education MEC.

District director Somikazi Chabalala told parents she had received an email from head office stating that the GASBOC had handed over a memorandum of grievances. Chabalala said the department could do nothing regarding fines and impoundments.

“After the payment is made by our department, we are unsure when the buses will start operating. The roads department said it would not stop fining drivers without documents and impounding unroadworthy buses.

“The department is trying to tighten where there were gaps that compromised the lives of the children,” said Chabalala.

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Addressing concerns about learners missing schoolwork, Chabalala said she had met with principals and school governing bodies across the district at the start of the year and suggested that schools would end their day after 15:00.

“There will be a catch-up programme for the learners. No child will be left behind because they were not attending school. We will accommodate all our learners,” she said.

In the meantime, Chabalala said she would ask schools with transport to assist in taking matric learners to school.

She also addressed the lack of a high school in the area, noting that the department had been searching for a suitable site for three years.

“At this point, I plead with parents to help us look for a site where we can build a school. I think it would be better if you helped us because you are more familiar with the area than we are. If there is a school in the area, it would limit transport issues like the ones the learners currently face,” said Chabalala.

Pikiso said the community had no choice but to accept the situation for now.

“We will wait for the update from the department regarding the payment, and if the buses don’t return, we will take the protest to the department of roads,” said Pikiso.

Olympia Park School is one of the schools where learners have not been attending due to the lack of buses. In a statement issued on February 8, the school said that teaching and learning are still taking place during this time, and that catch-up plans and activities are available for learners who cannot travel to school.

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport held a meeting on February 8 in Johannesburg, where the MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela noted that many scholar transport operators who depend on the sector for their livelihoods genuinely want to operate legally and safely.

“The operators want to be compliant. As the department of roads and transport, our responsibility is to assist them and ensure they operate within the law. But we must meet each other halfway,” said Diale-Tlabela.