The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga has written to the department of Public Works, Roads and Transport (PWRT) urging them to pay Scholar Transport Operators before they down tools and leave learners stranded.
It has come to the DA’s attention that some Scholar Transport Operators in the Gert Sibande District are threatening to strike and take legal action against PWRT because they have not been paid for services rendered between February and July 2024.
One such operator is Standerton based Magogogo Passenger Services (M.P.S Tours). This particular operator is owed over R3.3 million for services rendered between February and July. Directors of this company have written a letter to the department threatening with legal steps if they are not paid within 7-days.
On 15 March 2005, National Treasury published regulations in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) of 1999, requiring Accounting Officers of all national and provincial departments to pay invoices within 30 days of receipt. These regulations specified that the prescribed period for the payment of suppliers is 30-days from receipt of a legitimate (undisputed) invoice.
The DA would like to remind newly appointed MEC of PWRT, Thulasizwe Thomo, and his department that they are in violation of National Treasury regulations for not paying Scholar Transport Operators withing the prescribed 30-days. They must also know that delay of payments by government to service providers have a crippling effect on small contractors forcing them out of business. Late payments needed to be rooted out as they add more costs to government, and thus wasting tax payers’ money.
MEC Thomo must pay these Scholar Transport Operators as a matter of urgency before they down tools and leave learners stranded. The failure to provide transport to and from school is a violation of a learners’ right to be granted access to education. The right to education is entrenched in the Constitution.