Hon. Freddy Sonakile, continued its Oversight Week Programme in the Bojanala District with oversight visits to Ennis Thabong Secondary School and Madiba a Toloane Secondary School in the Madibeng Local Municipality to assess the state of scholar transport services.

The North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, chaired by Hon. Freddy Sonakile, continued its Oversight Week Programme in the Bojanala District with oversight visits to Ennis Thabong Secondary School and Madiba a Toloane Secondary School in the Madibeng Local Municipality to assess the state of scholar transport services.

The Committee found that while systems are in place to provide scholar transport to learners, several operational and compliance challenges continue to undermine the programme. These include an insufficient number of operational buses, overcrowding on certain routes, transport delays caused by flooded roads, and transport shortages affecting weekend and Saturday classes for matric learners.

The oversight also uncovered serious compliance concerns, including buses operating without valid operating licences, discrepancies between vehicles presented during inspections and those transporting learners, and possible fraudulent practices by some service providers.

The Committee further noted the need for improved coordination between the Departments of Education and Community Safety, stronger monitoring of service providers, and decisive consequence management against those found to be non-compliant.

The Committee has requested the Department to submit a comprehensive report detailing scholar transport statistics, compliance levels, law enforcement infringement records, and actions to be taken against non-compliant operators.

A comprehensive media statement outlining the Committee’s findings, observations and recommendations from the Oversight Week Programme will be released upon the conclusion of the oversight visits.