Page 541 - Provincial Treasury Estimates.pdf

Estimates of the Provincial Revenue and Expenditure (EPRE) – 2023/24 Financial Year
x Maximising mobility and accessibility through public transport;

x Leading in integrated traffic management;
x Creating economic empowerment opportunities in the transportation sector and alleviating poverty;

x Providing an efficient and effective fleet service to the provincial government;
x Reducing road accident fatalities in the province by 5 per cent per annum as well as the

implementation of the approved Rural Transport Strategy for the province; and
x Provide, maintain and manage the provincial roads network.

1.5 Demands for and expected changes in the services

The total current demand for scholar transport as per the information provided by the Department of
Education is 137 272 learners. These are learners who travel a distance of more than 5 kilometres to the

nearest public school and therefore qualify for scholar transport services. However, priority is given to
learners living with disabilities, depending on the nature of the disability, and is also given to learners who

travel a distance of less than 5 kilometres who walk past hazardous and dangerous areas in line with the
Provincial Learner Transport Policy.

The Department is currently in discussions with the National Department of Education pertaining the review

of National Learner Transport Policy to enable the Provincial Learner Policy to be reviewed for 2023/24
financial year. Since February 2021, over 125 000 learners have benefitted from this service utilising
savings from the lockdown and delayed opening of schools. This decision has put pressure on the
department’s budget in the ensuing financial years. To mitigate, this, the department prioritises scholars

from rural areas where the public transport system is neither reliable nor accessible.

However, with the ongoing schools rationalisation and realignment by the Department of Education, costs
are likely to increase due to increases in kilometres and numbers of learners needing to be transported.

Notwithstanding this, in 2023/24, 67 000 learners will be prioritised for scholar transport based on the
available budget allocations. The department is in a process of finalising the tender for Scholar transport

tender for the new contract to be implemented in the 2023/24 financial year.

Regarding provincial road network, the province continues to face the challenge of a large unpaved road
network of about 90.8 percent of the total network of +/- 40 000km with only 9.2 per cent paved. This poses
a challenge of access to socio economic activities. Additional to this, is the effect of infrastructure backlogs

that has been a challenge for many years, resulting to community protests.

1.6 The Acts, rules and regulations

The department derives its mandate from the following key legislation and policies: the White Paper on
National Policy on Airports and Airspace Management, 1997; National Commercial Ports Policy, 2002;
Taxi Recapitalisation Policy, 2009; Cross Border Road Transport Act No. 4 of 1998; Legal Succession to

the South African Transport Services Act No. 9 of 198; National Railway Safety Regulator Act No. 16 of
2002; Road Infrastructure Strategic Framework for South Africa [RISFA], 2006; Road Accident Fund Act

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