The North West Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management has intensified its scrutiny of scholar transport in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati (Dr RSM) District, moving from compliance checks to criminal charges after what it describes as serious breaches that put learners at risk.

The Committee’s latest stance comes against the backdrop of the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) Scholar Transport Final Inquiry Report, which found “pervasive failures” across the North West system — including unroadworthy and unsafe vehicles, chronic overcrowding, and repeated late arrivals that disrupt teaching and learning.  

In a new update on its oversight week in Dr RSM, the Committee says it identified violations at two schools — Mampho Secondary School (Migdol) and Thapama Secondary School (Matlapaneng) — that it believes warrant criminal investigation.

According to the Committee, vehicles at Mampho were operating with expired licence discs and without valid passenger liability insurance. At Thapama, the Committee alleges that a contracted provider failed to supply the required two 65-seater buses and instead used a 25-seater vehicle, triggering unsafe overloading, multiple daily trips and recurring late arrivals — while the provider allegedly continued to receive full payment.

The Committee says it has resolved to open criminal cases for fraud and for contraventions of the National Road Traffic Act, adding that the role of officials who approved contracts, failed to enforce compliance and authorised payments will also be examined.

While the Committee’s action this week centres on specific Dr RSM schools, the SAHRC inquiry paints a wider picture of a system under strain province-wide.

In submissions captured in the SAHRC report, Committee chairperson Hon Freddy Sonakile described quarterly oversight visits that repeatedly surfaced “serious shortcomings” in scholar transport, including unroadworthy vehicles and weak consequence management.   He further testified about intimidation of school principals to sign off on services even when transport is late or unsafe.  

Sonakile also told the inquiry that the Portfolio Committee observed patterns of accountability gaps, including “blame-shifting” between COSATMA and the North West Department of Education (NW DOE).  

Audit red flags: “payments for services not delivered”

A key theme in the SAHRC report is the link between governance weaknesses and learner safety on the ground.

The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) submissions referenced in the report highlight concerns that include the appointment of scholar transport suppliers without due process and payments made for services not delivered — with the report noting payments escalating to over R1.113 billion across the years cited, and further payments recorded in 2022/23.  

AGSA’s concerns also include gaps in monitoring and compliance indicators, such as inadequate evidence for programme performance.  

The Legislature Committee says it will not “pre-empt” outcomes, but its decision to lay charges signals a tougher enforcement posture in Dr RSM — one that aligns with the SAHRC’s warning that unsafe, unreliable transport can directly undermine learners’ right to access education.

-The VIP Team 

-NWPL