Education
(1) (a) What is the total budget for learner transport in the Western Cape, (b) what is the breakdown of this per district, (c) what is the number of operators that are operating in each of the education districts in the province and (d) what is the total budget that has been saved during the closure of schools;
(2) whether her Department has received any complaints from transport operators regarding the nature of contracts signed with them; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether there are plans to provide bus operators with financial assistance following the impact of the third wave of COVID-19; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
(1)
(a) R456 919 000 for the 2021/22 financial year
(b) The budget allocation is managed centrally in response to LTS applications as received , on application of the policy, and not allocated per district.
(c) Overberg - 19 operators
Cape Winelands – 40 operators
West Coast – 37 operators
Eden and Central Karoo – 46 operators
Metro districts – 19 operators (some travel across metro districts)
(d) A total of R52 212 154 of the allocated budget for 2020/2021 was not spent, which is inclusive of the period of closure of schools and the rotation schedule of learners.
(2) In 2020, SANSBOC-WC filed an application with the High Court of South Africa regarding the issuing of invitations to prospective service providers to bid for new interim contracts for the transportation of learners to and from schools in the Cape Winelands District. The relief sought by SANSBOC-WC was that the department be directed to withdraw the bid invitations issued, or be interdicted from either evaluating the bids or suspending the effectiveness of any decisions to award new contracts.
In October 2020, the Cape High Court dismissed the application for an interdict preventing the WCED from awarding new interim contracts in the Cape Winelands district.
The WCED thus proceeded with awarding the new interim contracts in this district.
(3) Since July 2020, appropriate LTS Payment Structures were approved and in place, which have been agreed upon by the South African National Small Bus Operators Council (SANSBOC) and the Southern African Bus Operators Association (SABOA), whereby provision is made for the payment of financial allowances through a sliding scale, to mitigate against financial losses being incurred by Learner Transport contractors.
