Finance MEC puts brakes on KZN school transport tenders
Finance MEC Francois Rodgers has ordered the provincial Transport Department to suspend all scholar transport tenders.
This follows allegations of corruption and bribery in the awarding process.
Rodgers says he's concerned that officials may not be following proper financial procedures, and has called for a halt in the process while investigations are carried out.
The scholar transport programme in KZN supports some 77,000 learners across more than 400 schools. It has a budget of over R340 million for the 2025/26 financial year.
Speaking in Durban on Monday, Rodgers said that strict compliance is non-negotiable when it comes to public funds.
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“The awarding of tenders for scholar transport I, in fact, I've written to the Department of Transport to say: stop the whole process.
“I believe the biggest part of the problem lies with officials who've been so accustomed to doing what it is they like, that they are no longer are compliant with legislation when it comes to the spending of money. We also got to start thinking of ways to stop wasteful, irregular and fraudulent activities."
