SACP Mpumalanga Pledges Solidarity Scholar Transport Operators
23 July 2014
The South African Communist Party in Mpumalanga Province pledges solidarity with the SMME scholar transport operators, as they continue to fight against Lumpen-tenderpreneurship in the province. These are the emerging entrepreneurs who need support from our government, rather than being exploited whilst struggling to earn a living. The Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport has for the past 6 years not paid the operators in full.
The aim of scholar transport is to ensure that needy learners in the rural and farm areas have easy access to schools far away from their homes, and therefore access to education. Now the children of the working class are subjected to walking for long distances due to people who do not understand working class conditions whilst their children are enjoying and accessing education in former "Model C" and existing private schools. Lumpen-tenderpreneurs are obsessed about self-enrichment than the struggle to liberate our people from the shackles of in equality, unemployment and poverty.
We are seriously concerned by the disruption of the working class children not being able to go to school due to inefficiency of some officials in the Mpumalanga Department failing to comply with Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), particularly the failure to pay those who are owed within 30 days. We are happy to see the courage shown by the operators to stand up and fight for their rights. The department must be held accountable if anything happens to the leaners who are left without transport due to the striking scholar transport operators. The department must also be held accountable for any poor learner performance as a result of the problem.
We urge the Mpumalanga Premier, Honorable DD Mabuza to speedily settle this long standing unnecessary dispute with scholar transport operators and allow working class children to access education as that is their basic human right.
Issued by SACP Mpumalanga
Enquiries:
Bonakele Majuba - Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 082 968 4877
Lesetja Dikgale - Provincial Spokesperson
Mobile: 076 869 4360
Tinyiko Ntini - Provincial Media Liaison
Mobile: 073 811 2020| 084 979 5999
