Gauteng education minister Angie Motshekga is ending her department’s contract with JCJ bus operators.
”I had enough of bus operators who hold us hostage and negotiate with us in bad faith,” said Motshekga in a statement.
Her spokesperson Panyaza Lesufi said JCJ had indicated it intended to withdraw more than 40 buses, ”thus rendering 18 of Gauteng department of education schools ineffective”.
He said Motshekga would bring a court interdict against JCJ and withdraw the contract offered to it.
”JCJ bus operators since the beginning of this year refused to sign the contract with Gauteng department of education,” said Lesufi.
He said the department had paid JCJ R522 000 on July 18 for areas in which it had a contract.
School transport operators have been in dispute with the department over payments totalling R4-million which they say they were owed.
Earlier on Monday, Eric Cornelius, director of the South African Bus Operators’ Association, confirmed that school transport was almost back to normal following the payment of ”about 90%” of outstanding payments.
Motshekga on Monday summoned her senior managers to an urgent meeting to address ”the wave of serious setbacks” facing her department.
”This follows a series of events, starting with the non-payment of [school bus] operators, [the] finding of ghost teachers in schools, [the] chaotic march by Cosas [the Congress of South African Students] as well as [the] suspending of senior managers in the Soweto district office,” read a departmental press release.
Motshekga will address the media on Wednesday on these events.
She will also discuss a memorandum by Cosas and ”shocking statements by learners on SABC’s programme, Special Assignment”.
On Friday, Cosas protested against school transport operators that failed to ferry schoolchildren in the wake of payments of R14-million not having been paid into their accounts. – Sapa