Hundreds of Gauteng pupils missed their Life Orientation exam on Monday after scholar transport operators stopped services over alleged unpaid invoices.
Among those affected were 653 pupils at Umkhumbane Junior Secondary School in Tshwane. A parent, who spoke anonymously, said learners in Grades 8, 9 and 10 were due to write their first LO paper that day.
“The learners in grades 8, 9 and 10 today were meant to be writing their first paper of LO. The exam has been postponed to Tuesday when transport is available,” she said.
The pupils rely on government-funded buses to travel to and from school. Jabulani Khumalo, chairperson of the Gauteng Small Bus Operators Council, said operators had halted services because they were owed more than R450 million by the provincial education department.
Khumalo said more than 2,000 vehicles transport pupils across the province, with monthly invoices totalling about R150 million. He said operators had not been paid for 90 days, making it difficult to meet obligations to suppliers, employees and banks.
“Interest accumulates, and when they eventually pay, the money falls short, and our credit scores are affected. We have to approach loan sharks,” he said.
He added that some operators were facing repossessions, while rising fuel costs and the absence of price increases since 2022 had added to the financial pressure.
“We have not received any price increases on this job since 2022. Suppliers now don’t want to give us anything on credit, making it difficult to run a business,” Khumalo said.
Following an emergency meeting on Monday with representatives from the Gauteng Department of Education, Treasury and the premier’s office, operators agreed to resume transport services on Tuesday.
Khumalo said the premier had committed to processing August and September invoices from Thursday, 5 November. Other grievances are due to be discussed at a meeting scheduled for 11 November.
Southern African Bus Operators’ Association spokesperson Tumi Mashiane said some operators had been waiting for payments since May or June.
“It’s not just August and September that scholar transport operators have not been paid. Some haven’t been paid since May and June. It is really a challenge,” she said.
The Gauteng Department of Education acknowledged receiving questions about the reported non-payment, affected operators and the number of pupils impacted, but had not responded by the time of publication. Gauteng government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga did not respond to a request for comment.
The immediate agreement means scholar transport is expected to resume, but operators’ wider payment concerns remain due to be discussed with the provincial government.