This is according to the Chairperson of the Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba. The committee is on its second visit to conduct oversight at schools following the reopening of schools for the 2022 academic year. She says both the Departments of Transport and Education need to find solutions to it. Mbinqo-Gigaba says she believes the provincial government must also step in to intervene.  

"There are listeners that need to be transported. So there are issues of learner transport that we have raised with the department but also, there are issues of the learners who are in hostels. There are monies that we're supposed to be paid for them so that they get their food and toiletries from the department. That has [not happened] and we have since asked the head of the department (HOD) to look into the matter," Mbinqo-Gigaba adds.

OFM News previously reported that at some point in 2019, about 8 503 learners were without transport. This as the ministerial task team, assigned to resolve issues in the province, back then highlighted that thousands of learners in the province were left destitute, despite the fact that over R374 million was spent by the Education Department in the province towards the scholar transport programme.

OFM News