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Hundreds of learners’ hopes of a great start to the new school year have been shattered as they stand, stranded, next to roads and at bus stops waiting for scholar transport that never arrives.

Today, 18 January 2024, the DA held a picket at Seavista in St Francis Bay, where 100 learners from schools in Humansdorp were left stranded 25 km from their schools, because of the failed Scholar Transport system.

The blame for this travesty must be laid squarely at the feet of the Eastern Cape Department of Transport, which has made empty promises that it’s all systems go when, in reality, the programme has clearly collapsed.

Today, the community of St Francis Bay, parents and the DA came together and picketed at the bus stop where the learners are usually collected to highlight the plight of these young people.

Where provincial government fails, the DA gets things done, and by pooling resources with residents, we were able to ensure that, today, at least, these 100 learners got to school. We have also engaged with civil society stakeholders to see if there is a way they can assist in the interim while we wait for the Department of Transport to sort out its mess.

The DA will now launch a petition to demand that the learners of Seavista receive transport. The petition will be submitted to the office of the MEC of Transport, Xolile Nqatha, in due course.

We demand that the MEC takes action to ensure that scholar transport is provided to the learners.

DA EC Shadow MEC for Transport, Marshall von Buchenroder MPL, has been driving the issue of scholar transport in the Provincial Legislature and has called on MEC Nqatha to put interim plans in place so that stranded learners receive the transport they are entitled to.

It is critical that these learners receive transport to access their constitutional right to education.

Without access to quality education, the future of our learners and our country hangs in the balance. The DA will continue its fight to rescue our learners by ensuring that they have access to quality education.

Issued by Dr Vicky Knoetze MPL - Tsitsi-Kouga Constituency Leader